XWiki Platform vulnerable to CSRF privilege escalation/RCE via the create action

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

8.0 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

• CVE-2023-40572: 0.62% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 49.72 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Impact The create action is vulnerable to a CSRF attack, allowing script and thus remote code execution when targeting a user with script/programming right, thus compromising the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki installation. To reproduce, the XWiki syntax [[image:path:/xwiki/bin/create/Foo/WebHome?template=&parent=Main.WebHome&title=$services.logging.getLogger(%22foo%22).error(%22Script%20executed!%22)]] can be added to any place that supports XWiki syntax like a comment. When a user with script right views this image and a log message ERROR foo - Script executed! appears in the log, the XWiki installation is vulnerable. Patches This has been patched in XWiki 14.10.9 and 15.4RC1 by requiring a CSRF token for the actual page creation. Workarounds There are no known workarounds. References https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20849 https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/4b20528808d0c311290b0d9ab2cfc44063380ef7

Published by the source

23 Aug 2023, 20:37 UTC

Last modified by the source

9 Nov 2023, 05:00 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:16 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-4f8m-7h83-9f6m

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2023-40572

Advisory: XWiki Platform vulnerable to CSRF privilege escalation/RCE via the create action
IDs: CVE-2023-40572, GHSA-4f8m-7h83-9f6m
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2023-40572 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:16 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 8.0)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore 15.4-rc-1, 14.10.9. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore: affected >= 3.2-milestone-3, < 14.10.9; >= 15.0-rc-1, < 15.4-rc-1; fixed in 15.4-rc-1, 14.10.9

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4f8m-7h83-9f6m (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-4f8m-7h83-9f6m lists affected ranges: Maven org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore >=3.2-milestone-3 =15.0-rc-1 <15.4-rc-1)

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