CVE-2023-37908: XWiki Rendering is a generic Rendering system that converts textual input in a given syntax into another syntax. The cleaning of attributes during XHT...

Description

XWiki Rendering is a generic Rendering system that converts textual input in a given syntax into another syntax. The cleaning of attributes during XHTML rendering, introduced in version 14.6-rc-1, allowed the injection of arbitrary HTML code and thus cross-site scripting via invalid attribute names. This can be exploited, e.g., via the link syntax in any content that supports XWiki syntax like comments in XWiki. When a user moves the mouse over a malicious link, the malicious JavaScript code is executed in the context of the user session. When this user is a privileged user who has programming rights, this allows server-side code execution with programming rights, impacting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the XWiki instance. While this attribute was correctly recognized as not allowed, the attribute was still printed with a prefix `data-xwiki-translated-attribute-` without further cleaning or validation. This problem has been patched in XWiki 14.10.4 and 15.0 RC1 by removing characters not allowed in data attributes and then validating the cleaned attribute again. There are no known workarounds apart from upgrading to a version including the fix.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

9.6/10

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

EPSS Probability

1.06%

60.2th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Xwiki	Xwiki-Rendering	>= 14.6, < 14.10.4

References

https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/commit/f4d5acac451dccaf276e69f0b49b72221eef5d2fPatch
https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/security/advisories/GHSA-663w-2xp3-5739Exploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/security/advisories/GHSA-6gf5-c898-7rxpExploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XRENDERING-697Exploit, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/commit/f4d5acac451dccaf276e69f0b49b72221eef5d2fPatch
https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/security/advisories/GHSA-663w-2xp3-5739Exploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/security/advisories/GHSA-6gf5-c898-7rxpExploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XRENDERING-697Exploit, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Oct 25, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-37908?

XWiki Rendering is a generic Rendering system that converts textual input in a given syntax into another syntax. The cleaning of attributes during XHTML rendering, introduced in version 14.6-rc-1, allowed the injection of arbitrary HTML code and thus cross-site scripting via invalid attribute names. This can be exploited, e.g., via the link syntax in any content that supports XWiki syntax like comments in XWiki. When a user moves the mouse over a malicious link, the malicious JavaScript code is executed in the context of the user session. When this user is a privileged user who has programming rights, this allows server-side code execution with programming rights, impacting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the XWiki instance. While this attribute was correctly recognized as not allowed, the attribute was still printed with a prefix `data-xwiki-translated-attribute-` without further cleaning or validation. This problem has been patched in XWiki 14.10.4 and 15.0 RC1 by removing characters not allowed in data attributes and then validating the cleaned attribute again. There are no known workarounds apart from upgrading to a version including the fix.

How severe is CVE-2023-37908?

CVE-2023-37908 has a CVSS score of 9.6/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.06% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-37908?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.