Summary
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-notification-activitymacro Eval Injection vulnerability
A proof of concept exploit is
{{activity wikis="~" /~}~} {{async async=~"true~" cached=~"false~" context=~"doc.reference~"~}~}{{groovy~}~}println(~"Hello from Groovy!~"){{/groovy~}~}"/}}
If the output of this macro is
The [notifications] macro is a standalone macro and it cannot be used inline. Click on this message for details.
Hello from Groovy!" displayMinorEvents="false" displayRSSLink="false" /}}
or similar, the XWiki installation is vulnerable. The vulnerability can be exploited via every wiki page that is editable including the user's profile, but also with just view rights using the HTMLConverter that is part of the CKEditor integration which is bundled with XWiki.
Workarounds
The issue can be fixed by replacing the code of the legacy notification activity macro by the patched version. Alternatively, if the macro isn't used, the document XWiki.Notifications.Code.Legacy.ActivityMacro can also be completely deleted.
References
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/94392490884635c028199275db059a4f471e57bc
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20258
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Jira XWiki.org
- Email us at Security Mailing List
Impact
Any user with view rights on commonly accessible documents including the legacy notification activity macro can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation. The root cause is improper escaping of the macro parameters of the legacy notification activity macro. This macro is installed by default in XWiki.
Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment. Typical impact: arbitrary code execution within the application's privilege context.
CVE-2023-29209 has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-29209? CVE-2023-29209 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-notification-activitymacro (maven), affecting versions >= 10.9, < 13.10.11. It is fixed in 13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
- How severe is CVE-2023-29209? CVE-2023-29209 has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-notification-activitymacro are affected by CVE-2023-29209? org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-notification-activitymacro (maven) versions >= 10.9, < 13.10.11 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-29209? Yes. CVE-2023-29209 is fixed in 13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-29209 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-29209 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-29209 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-29209?
- Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-notification-activitymacroto 13.10.11 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-notification-activitymacroto 14.4.7 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-legacy-notification-activitymacroto 14.10 or later
- Upgrade