Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconAuthenticate as XWiki user with edit right
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DeliveryIdentify target page editable via Live Data
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ExploitSend crafted Live Data REST API request to modify rights field
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InstallBypass missing checkSavingDocument() authorization
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C2Gain script right on target page
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ExecuteInject Velocity or JavaScript payload
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ImpactCompromise sessions of other page viewers
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization checks on every request
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires a valid authenticated XWiki user account with at minimum edit permission on the target page. The xwiki-platform-livedata-livetable module must be present, which is standard in affected XWiki Platform installations - no non-default configuration is necessary. The attacker targets the Live Data REST API directly, manipulating editable document properties such as the rights levels field. Unauthenticated users cannot exploit this; the privilege floor is an authenticated editor. The rights escalation is scoped to the specific page the attacker already has edit access to, but once script right is obtained on that page, the impact extends to all users who view it via stored XSS or Velocity execution. Extension-level security checks based on UserUpdatingDocumentEvent listeners are also bypassed, which may widen impact in deployments relying on custom access control logic. |
| Impact | This vulnerability presents a real and meaningful escalation path despite the absence of a vendor-provided CVSS vector. The attack is network-reachable via the Live Data REST API and requires only authenticated access at the edit-permission level - a low bar in collaborative wiki environments where many users routinely hold edit rights. The impact is disproportionate: escalating to script right enables arbitrary server-side Velocity execution and stored XSS, which can cascade into session hijacking or further compromise of page viewers. The additional bypass of extension-level event listeners (UserUpdatingDocumentEvent) is a secondary risk amplifier for organizations that rely on custom authorization logic in XWiki extensions. Even a mid-sized municipal IT team in malbork running a self-hosted XWiki instance should treat this as urgent given the broad affected version range covering installations from 13.4-rc-1 onward. No public exploit code exists and this is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, so confirmed active exploitation is absent; however, the attack is conceptually simple - a single crafted API call - and requires no specialized tooling, meaning the exploit-to-complexity ratio favors attackers. EPSS data was not provided in the source intelligence. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An authenticated XWiki user with edit rights on a page sends a crafted PUT request to the Live Data REST API targeting the page's rights properties - for example, setting the levels field to include script. Because the API skips the checkSavingDocument() authorization check, the modification succeeds despite the user lacking script right through legitimate channels. The attacker then edits the page to insert a Velocity macro or raw JavaScript payload that executes in the browser of any user who subsequently views the page, enabling session theft or further privilege abuse. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 19, 2026
Privilege escalation in XWiki Platform's Live Data Live Table Connector allows any authenticated user with edit access to a page to elevate themselves to script right by sending crafted requests to the Live Data REST API. Script right in XWiki permits execution of arbitrary Velocity code and injection of unfiltered HTML and JavaScript into page content, enabling stored XSS against other users and bypassing extension-level security listeners. The vulnerability spans a wide version range from 13.4-rc-1 through 18.0.x, and no public exploit has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
The primary remediation is to upgrade XWiki Platform to a patched release: 16.10.17, 17.4.10, 17.10.4, or 18.1.0 (released as 18.1.0-rc-1 per the advisory). The fix is delivered via commit 448b0f074cc6711410eb2647c4740454c92d1626, which adds the missing checkSavingDocument() authorization call in ModelBridge.java before any document write from the Live Data API. Full details are in the GitHub Security Advisory at https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-45ph-gxxr-gwgw. The XWiki security team explicitly states no workarounds are known short of upgrading. As a temporary compensating control pending upgrade, administrators can restrict edit permissions on sensitive pages to only fully trusted users, which reduces the attack surface at the cost of collaboration capability. Blocking external or untrusted network access to the Live Data REST endpoint at the reverse proxy or WAF layer could further limit exposure, but this may break legitimate Live Data inline-editing functionality for valid users.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 5 packages in maven, euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The affected component is org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-livedata-livetable, the Live Table connector within XWiki Platform's Live Data subsystem. Live Data exposes a REST API that allows inline editing of structured document properties - including access rights fields - directly from wiki page tables. The root cause is CWE-862 (Missing Authorization): the ModelBridge.saveDocument() method was invoking xcontext.getWiki().saveDocument() without first calling checkSavingDocument(), the XWiki core method responsible for enforcing per-user save-time authorization checks. The commit diff confirms the fix adds both a UserReferenceResolver injection and an explicit checkSavingDocument() invocation before the document write. Because this pre-save check was absent, the Live Data API also bypassed any security listeners registered on UserUpdatingDocumentEvent and related User-prefixed document lifecycle events, undermining extension-provided access controls that rely on those hooks.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
REST API is network-reachable (AV:N); requires authenticated editor access (PR:L); scope changes because script right enables XSS impacting other users' browsers (S:C); integrity impact is high due to rights escalation.
Primary rating from Vendor (https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform).
CVSS VectorVendor: https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Impact
Any user who can edit a page in XWiki can use Live Data's edit REST API in XWiki to change the rights on that page. This allows the user to obtain script right on the page. Script right allows the user to execute potentially dangerous Velocity scripts and send unfiltered HTML and JavaScript to the client. If there are other security checks, e.g., in extensions, implemented as listeners to UserUpdatingDocumentEvent and similar User… events, these checks can be circumvented, too.
Patches
This vulnerability has been patched by properly calling all checks in Live Data in XWiki 16.10.17, 17.4.10, 17.10.4 and 18.1.0.
Workarounds
We're not aware of any workarounds apart from upgrading.
Executive ViewAI
XWiki Platform versions 13.4 through 18.0 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing authenticated users with basic page editing access to gain unrestricted code execution capabilities. While no public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, if exploited this vulnerability could enable injection of malicious content, manipulation of sensitive information, and compromise of all end users accessing affected instances.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
EUVD-2026-78592
GHSA-45ph-gxxr-gwgw
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB