Summary
XWiki Platform privilege escalation (PR)/RCE from account through Invitation subject/message
Workarounds
The vulnerability can be patched manually by applying the patch on Invitation.InvitationCommon and Invitation.InvitationConfig.
References
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20421
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/ff1d8a1790c6ee534c6a4478360a06efeb2d3591
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 who can view Invitation.WebHome can execute arbitrary script macros including Groovy and Python macros that allow remote code execution including unrestricted read and write access to all wiki contents. This can be reproduced with the following steps:
- Open the invitation application (Invitation.WebHome).
- Set the subject to
{{cache}}{{groovy}}new File("/tmp/exploit.txt").withWriter { out -> out.println("Attacked from invitation!"); }{{/groovy}}{{/cache}} - Click "Preview"
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-2023-37914 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 (14.4.8, 14.10.6, 15.2-rc-1); 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 on XWiki 14.4.8, 15.2-rc-1, and 14.10.6.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-37914? CVE-2023-37914 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-invitation-ui (maven), affecting versions >= 2.5-m-1, < 14.4.8. It is fixed in 14.4.8, 14.10.6, 15.2-rc-1. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
- How severe is CVE-2023-37914? CVE-2023-37914 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-invitation-ui are affected by CVE-2023-37914? org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-invitation-ui (maven) versions >= 2.5-m-1, < 14.4.8 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-37914? Yes. CVE-2023-37914 is fixed in 14.4.8, 14.10.6, 15.2-rc-1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-37914 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-37914 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-2023-37914 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-2023-37914?
- Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-invitation-uito 14.4.8 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-invitation-uito 14.10.6 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-invitation-uito 15.2-rc-1 or later
- Upgrade