What is CVE-2024-38369?

CVE-2024-38369 is a critical-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-include (maven), affecting versions < 15.0-rc-1. It is fixed in 15.0-rc-1. The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions.

How severe is CVE-2024-38369?

CVE-2024-38369 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.

Is there a fix for CVE-2024-38369?

Yes. CVE-2024-38369 is fixed in 15.0-rc-1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2024-38369 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2024-38369 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2024-38369 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.

CVE-2024-38369

Q: How severe is CVE-2024-38369?

CVE-2024-38369 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.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2024-38369?

Yes. CVE-2024-38369 is fixed in 15.0-rc-1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2024-38369 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2024-38369 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2024-38369 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2024-38369?

Upgrade org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-include to 15.0-rc-1 or later.

Summary

XWiki programming rights may be inherited by inclusion

Workarounds

Make sure to protect any included document to make sure only allowed users can modify it.

A workaround have been provided in 14.10.2 to allow forcing to execute the included content with the target content author instead of the default behavior. See https://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Include%20Macro#HAuthor for more details.

References

https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-5027
https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20471

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

The content of a document included using {{include reference="targetdocument"/}} is executed with the right of the includer and not with the right of its author.

This means that any user able to modify the target document can impersonate the author of the content which used the include macro.

The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions. Typical impact: unauthorized data access or execution of privileged operations.

CVE-2024-38369 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 (15.0-rc-1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-include (< 15.0-rc-1)

Security releases

org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-include → 15.0-rc-1 (maven)

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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Remediation advice

This has been patched in XWiki 15.0 RC1 by making the default behavior safe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-38369? CVE-2024-38369 is a critical-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-include (maven), affecting versions < 15.0-rc-1. It is fixed in 15.0-rc-1. The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions.
How severe is CVE-2024-38369? CVE-2024-38369 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-rendering-macro-include are affected by CVE-2024-38369? org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-include (maven) versions < 15.0-rc-1 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2024-38369? Yes. CVE-2024-38369 is fixed in 15.0-rc-1. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2024-38369 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-38369 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-2024-38369 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-2024-38369? Upgrade org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rendering-macro-include to 15.0-rc-1 or later.