Summary
XWiki Commons missing escaping of { in Velocity escapetool allows remote code execution
Workarounds
Apart from upgrading, there is no generic workaround. However, replacing $escapetool.html by $escapetool.xml in XWiki documents fixes the vulnerability. In a standard XWiki installation, we're only aware of the document Panels.PanelLayoutUpdate that exposes this vulnerability, patching this document is thus a workaround. Any extension could expose this vulnerability and might thus require patching, too.
References
Impact
The HTML escaping of escaping tool that is used in XWiki doesn't escape {, which, when used in certain places, allows XWiki syntax injection and thereby remote code execution.
To reproduce in an XWiki installation, open <xwiki-host>/xwiki/bin/view/Panels/PanelLayoutUpdate?place=%7B%7B%2Fhtml%7D%7D%7B%7Basync%20async%3Dfalse%7D%7D%7B%7Bvelocity%7D%7D%23evaluate(%24request.eval)%7B%7B%2Fvelocity%7D%7D%7B%7B%2Fasync%7D%7D&eval=Hello%20from%20URL%20Parameter!%20I%20got%20programming%3A%20%24services.security.authorization.hasAccess(%27programming%27) where <xwiki-host> is the URL of your XWiki installation. If this displays You are not admin on this place Hello from URL Parameter! I got programming: true, the installation 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-2024-31996 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no 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 (14.10.19, 15.5.4, 15.9-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 fixed on XWiki 14.10.19, 15.5.5, and 15.9 RC1.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-31996? CVE-2024-31996 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-velocity (maven), affecting versions >= 3.0.1, < 14.10.19. It is fixed in 14.10.19, 15.5.4, 15.9-rc-1. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
- How severe is CVE-2024-31996? CVE-2024-31996 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (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.commons:xwiki-commons-velocity are affected by CVE-2024-31996? org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-velocity (maven) versions >= 3.0.1, < 14.10.19 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-31996? Yes. CVE-2024-31996 is fixed in 14.10.19, 15.5.4, 15.9-rc-1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-31996 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-31996 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-2024-31996 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-2024-31996?
- Upgrade
org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-velocityto 14.10.19 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-velocityto 15.5.4 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.commons:xwiki-commons-velocityto 15.9-rc-1 or later
- Upgrade