CVE-2025-53836

Workarounds

To avoid the exploitation of this bug, comments can be disabled for untrusted users until an upgrade to a patched version has been performed. Note that users with edit rights will still be able to add comments via the object editor even if comments have been disabled.

Resources

• https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/commit/c73fa3ccd4ac59057e48e5d4325f659e78e8f86d
• https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XRENDERING-689
• https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20375

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

Attribution

This vulnerability has been reported on Intigriti by René de Sain @renniepak.

The default macro content parser didn't preserve the restricted attribute of the transformation context when executing nested macros. This allows executing macros that are normally forbidden in restricted mode, in particular script macros. The cache and chart macros that are bundled in XWiki use the vulnerable feature. The following XWiki syntax, when used inside a comment in XWiki, demonstrates the privilege escalation from comment right to programming right and thus remote code execution (RCE) that is possible due to this:

{{cache}}{{groovy}}println("Hello from Groovy!"){{/groovy}}{{/cache}}

This vulnerability exists since the restricted attribute has been added to the transformation context in version 4.2.

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-2025-53836 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 (13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

This has been patched in XWiki 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.

1. What is CVE-2025-53836? CVE-2025-53836 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro (maven), affecting versions >= 4.2-milestone-1, < 13.10.11. It is fixed in 13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
2. How severe is CVE-2025-53836? CVE-2025-53836 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.
3. Which versions of org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro are affected by CVE-2025-53836? org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro (maven) versions >= 4.2-milestone-1, < 13.10.11 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-53836? Yes. CVE-2025-53836 is fixed in 13.10.11, 14.4.7, 14.10. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2025-53836 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-53836 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2025-53836 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2025-53836?
   • Upgrade org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro to 13.10.11 or later
   • Upgrade org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro to 14.4.7 or later
   • Upgrade org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro to 14.10 or later