Summary
Remote code execution from account through SearchAdmin
Workarounds
The patch can be manually applied to the page XWiki.SearchAdmin.
References
Impact
The search administration interface doesn't properly escape the id and label of search user interface extensions, allowing the injection of XWiki syntax containing script macros including Groovy macros that allow remote code execution, impacting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki instance. This attack can be executed by any user who can edit some wiki page like the user's profile (editable by default) as user interface extensions that will be displayed in the search administration can be added on any document by any user.
To reproduce, edit any document with the object editor, add an object of type XWiki.UIExtensionClass, set "Extension Point Id" to org.xwiki.platform.search, set "Extension ID" to {{async}}{{groovy}}services.logging.getLogger("attacker").error("Attack from extension id succeeded!"){{/groovy}}{{/async}}, set "Extension Parameters" to label={{async}}{{groovy}}services.logging.getLogger("attacker").error("Attack from label succeeded!"){{/groovy}}{{/async}} and "Extension Scope" to "Current User". Then open the page XWiki.SearchAdmin, e.g., on http://localhost:8080/xwiki/bin/view/XWiki/SearchAdmin. If there are error log messages in XWiki's log that announce that attacks succeeded, the instance is vulnerable.
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-2023-50721 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 (14.10.15, 15.5.2, 15.7-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 necessary escaping has been added in XWiki 14.10.15, 15.5.2 and 15.7RC1.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-50721? CVE-2023-50721 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-ui (maven), affecting versions >= 4.5-rc-1, < 14.10.15. It is fixed in 14.10.15, 15.5.2, 15.7-rc-1. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
- How severe is CVE-2023-50721? CVE-2023-50721 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-search-ui are affected by CVE-2023-50721? org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-ui (maven) versions >= 4.5-rc-1, < 14.10.15 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-50721? Yes. CVE-2023-50721 is fixed in 14.10.15, 15.5.2, 15.7-rc-1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-50721 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-50721 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-2023-50721 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-2023-50721?
- Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-uito 14.10.15 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-uito 15.5.2 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-search-uito 15.7-rc-1 or later
- Upgrade