Summary
XWiki Platform: Privilege escalation (PR) from user registration through PDFClass
Workarounds
If PDF templates are not typically used on the instance, an administrator can create the document XWiki.PDFClass and block its edition, after making sure that it does not contain a style attribute.
Otherwise, the instance needs to be updated.
References
Impact
Remote code execution is possible via PDF export templates.
To reproduce on an installation, register a new user account with username PDFClass if XWiki.PDFClass does not exist.
On XWiki.PDFClass, use the class editor to add a "style" property of type "TextArea" and content type "Plain Text".
Then, add an object of class PDFClass and set the "style" attribute to $services.logging.getLogger('PDFClass').error("I got programming: $services.security.authorization.hasAccess('programming')").
Finally, go to <host>/xwiki/bin/export/Main/WebHome?format=pdf&pdftemplate=XWiki.PDFClass. If the logs contain "ERROR PDFClass - I got programming: true", the instance is vulnerable.
The application does not perform an authorization check before performing a sensitive operation. Typical impact: unauthorized access to restricted functionality or data.
CVE-2024-31981 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 (14.10.20, 15.5.4, 15.10-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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This vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 14.10.20, 15.5.4 and 15.10-rc-1.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-31981? CVE-2024-31981 is a critical-severity missing authorization vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore (maven), affecting versions >= 3.0.1, < 14.10.20. It is fixed in 14.10.20, 15.5.4, 15.10-rc-1. The application does not perform an authorization check before performing a sensitive operation.
- How severe is CVE-2024-31981? CVE-2024-31981 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-oldcore are affected by CVE-2024-31981? org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore (maven) versions >= 3.0.1, < 14.10.20 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-31981? Yes. CVE-2024-31981 is fixed in 14.10.20, 15.5.4, 15.10-rc-1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-31981 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-31981 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-2024-31981 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-2024-31981?
- Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcoreto 14.10.20 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcoreto 15.5.4 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcoreto 15.10-rc-1 or later
- Upgrade