Summary
XWiki Realtime WYSIWYG Editor extension allows privilege escalation (PR) through realtime WYSIWYG editing
Workarounds
To avoid this vulnerability you can:
- either disable the realtime WYSIWYG editing by disabling the
xwiki-realtimeCKEditor plugin from the WYSIWYG editor administration section - or uninstall the Realtime WYSIWYG Editor extension (org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-realtime-wysiwyg-ui)
References
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
NOTE: The Realtime WYSIWYG Editor extension was experimental, and thus not recommended, in the versions affected by this vulnerability. It has become enabled by default, and thus recommended, starting with XWiki 16.9.0.
A user with only edit right can join a realtime editing session where others, that where already there or that may join later, have script or programming access rights. This user can then insert script rendering macros that are executed for those users in the realtime session that have script or programming rights. The inserted scripts can be used to gain more access rights.
Here's an example that works with XWiki 15.10.9+ and 16.2.0+:
- the attacker starts editing a wiki page in realtime (for which they have edit right)
- another user, with script or programming access right joins the editing session (e.g. by clicking on a link / URL provided by the attacker)
- the attacker inserts a script rendering macro, say
{{velocity}}I can run scripts{{/velocity}}, in the edited content, using the WYSIWYG editor UI - the edited content is reloaded for both the attacker and the other user, in order to render the inserted macro
- the attacker gets a rendering error message
- the other user sees "I can run scripts"
The attacker can obviously use more advanced scripts to gain access rights.
Before XWiki 15.10.9 and 16.2.0 the edited content was not re-rendered for all the users in the editing sesesion, but only for the user that inserted the macro. This means that in order to reproduce the problem the other user had to insert or update a macro or save and view the content.
The application does not perform an authorization check before performing a sensitive operation. Typical impact: unauthorized access to restricted functionality or data.
CVE-2025-23025 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (15.10.12, 16.4.1, 16.6.0-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 15.10.12, 16.4.1 and 16.6.0-rc-1.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-23025? CVE-2025-23025 is a critical-severity missing authorization vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-realtime-wysiwyg-ui (maven), affecting versions >= 13.9-rc-1, < 15.10.12. It is fixed in 15.10.12, 16.4.1, 16.6.0-rc-1. The application does not perform an authorization check before performing a sensitive operation.
- How severe is CVE-2025-23025? CVE-2025-23025 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (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.platform:xwiki-platform-realtime-wysiwyg-ui are affected by CVE-2025-23025? org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-realtime-wysiwyg-ui (maven) versions >= 13.9-rc-1, < 15.10.12 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-23025? Yes. CVE-2025-23025 is fixed in 15.10.12, 16.4.1, 16.6.0-rc-1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2025-23025 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-23025 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-2025-23025 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-2025-23025?
- Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-realtime-wysiwyg-uito 15.10.12 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-realtime-wysiwyg-uito 16.4.1 or later - Upgrade
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-realtime-wysiwyg-uito 16.6.0-rc-1 or later
- Upgrade