Summary
Cross-Site Request Forgery with QueryOnXWiki allows arbitrary database queries
Workarounds
The patch can also be applied manually to the affected pages. Alternatively, if the query tool is not needed, by deleting the document Admin.SQLToolsGroovy, all database query tools can be deactivated.
References
Impact
A CSRF vulnerability in the query on XWiki tool allows executing arbitrary database queries on the database of the XWiki installation. Among other things, this allows modifying and deleting all data of the wiki. This could be both used to damage the wiki and to create an account with elevated privileges for the attacker, thus impacting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki instance. A possible attack vector are comments on the wiki, by embedding an image with wiki syntax like [[image:path:/xwiki/bin/view/Admin/QueryOnXWiki?query=DELETE%20FROM%20xwikidoc]], all documents would be deleted from the database when an admin user views this comment.
A victim's authenticated browser session is used to submit forged requests to an application that cannot distinguish them from legitimate ones. Typical impact: state-changing actions performed as the victim without their consent.
CVE-2023-48293 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (4.5.1); 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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This has been patched in Admin Tools Application 4.5.1 by adding form token checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-48293? CVE-2023-48293 is a high-severity cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in org.xwiki.contrib:xwiki-application-admintools (maven), affecting versions < 4.5.1. It is fixed in 4.5.1. A victim's authenticated browser session is used to submit forged requests to an application that cannot distinguish them from legitimate ones.
- How severe is CVE-2023-48293? CVE-2023-48293 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). 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.contrib:xwiki-application-admintools are affected by CVE-2023-48293? org.xwiki.contrib:xwiki-application-admintools (maven) versions < 4.5.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-48293? Yes. CVE-2023-48293 is fixed in 4.5.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-48293 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-48293 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-2023-48293 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-2023-48293? Upgrade
org.xwiki.contrib:xwiki-application-admintoolsto 4.5.1 or later.