CVE-2023-30537
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-ui vulnerable to privilege escalation
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Any user with the right to add an object on a page can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation. The root cause is improper escaping of the styles properties FlamingoThemesCode.WebHome. This page is installed by default. The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki versions 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- Low
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
9.9
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-ui vulnerable to privilege escalation
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Any user with the right to add an object on a page can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation. The root cause is improper escaping of the styles properties FlamingoThemesCode.WebHome. This page is installed by default. The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki versions 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
- Record
CVE-2023-30537- CVSS 3.1
- 9.9 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-95
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-1398
9.9
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Any user with the right to add an object on a page can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation. The root cause is improper escaping of the styles properties FlamingoThemesCode.WebHome. This page is installed by default. The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki versions 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
- Record
EUVD-2023-1398- CVSS 3.1
- 9.9 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp
9.9
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-ui vulnerable to privilege escalation
Impact
Any user with the right to add an object on a page can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation. The root cause is improper escaping of the styles properties FlamingoThemesCode.WebHome. This page is installed by default.
Reproduction Steps
Steps to reproduce:
- As a user without script or programming rights, edit your user profile with the object editor (enable advanced mode if necessary to get access) and add an object of type "Theme Class" of "FlamingoThemesCode". In the field "body-bg" (all other fields should work, too) add the following text:
{{/html}} {{async async="true" cached="false" context="doc.reference"}}{{groovy}}println("Hello " + "from groovy!"){{/groovy}}{{/async}}
- Click "Save & View"
- Open <xwiki-host>/xwiki/bin/view/FlamingoThemesCode/WebHomeSheet where <xwiki-host> is the URL of your XWiki installation
Expected result:
The list of color themes either doesn't include the user's profile or displays a regular preview.
Actual result:
The user's profile is listed as color theme but instead of the little preview the message
Failed to execute the [html] macro. Cause: [When using HTML content inline, you can only use inline HTML content. Block HTML content (such as tables) cannot be displayed. Try leaving an empty line before and after the macro.]. Click on this message for details.
Hello from groovy!">
is displayed. This shows that a Groovy macro with content created by the user has been executed and thus demonstrates a privilege escalation from simple user account to programming rights.
Patches
The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
Workarounds
The issue can be fixed by applying this patch on FlamingoThemesCode.WebHomeSheet.
References
- patch: https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/df596f15368342236f8899ca122af8f3df0fe2e8
- Jira: https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20280
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
- Record
GHSA-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp- CVSS 3.1
- 9.9 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-94, CWE-95
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
9.9
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Any user with the right to add an object on a page can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation. The root cause is improper escaping of the styles properties FlamingoThemesCode.WebHome. This page is installed by default. The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki versions 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
- Record
CVE-2023-30537- CVSS 3.1
- 9.9 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L - CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-95, CWE-94
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
9.9
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-ui vulnerable to privilege escalation
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Any user with the right to add an object on a page can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation. The root cause is improper escaping of the styles properties FlamingoThemesCode.WebHome. This page is installed by default. The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki versions 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
- Record
CVE-2023-30537- CVSS 3.1
- 9.9 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-95
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp
9.9
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-ui vulnerable to privilege escalation
Impact
Any user with the right to add an object on a page can execute arbitrary Groovy, Python or Velocity code in XWiki leading to full access to the XWiki installation. The root cause is improper escaping of the styles properties FlamingoThemesCode.WebHome. This page is installed by default.
Reproduction Steps
Steps to reproduce:
- As a user without script or programming rights, edit your user profile with the object editor (enable advanced mode if necessary to get access) and add an object of type "Theme Class" of "FlamingoThemesCode". In the field "body-bg" (all other fields should work, too) add the following text:
{{/html}} {{async async="true" cached="false" context="doc.reference"}}{{groovy}}println("Hello " + "from groovy!"){{/groovy}}{{/async}}
- Click "Save & View"
- Open <xwiki-host>/xwiki/bin/view/FlamingoThemesCode/WebHomeSheet where <xwiki-host> is the URL of your XWiki installation
Expected result:
The list of color themes either doesn't include the user's profile or displays a regular preview.
Actual result:
The user's profile is listed as color theme but instead of the little preview the message
Failed to execute the [html] macro. Cause: [When using HTML content inline, you can only use inline HTML content. Block HTML content (such as tables) cannot be displayed. Try leaving an empty line before and after the macro.]. Click on this message for details.
Hello from groovy!">
is displayed. This shows that a Groovy macro with content created by the user has been executed and thus demonstrates a privilege escalation from simple user account to programming rights.
Patches
The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10.
Workarounds
The issue can be fixed by applying this patch on FlamingoThemesCode.WebHomeSheet.
References
- patch: https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/df596f15368342236f8899ca122af8f3df0fe2e8
- Jira: https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20280
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
- Record
GHSA-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp- CVSS 3.1
- 9.9 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-94, CWE-95
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-uiMaven |
12.6.6 up to 13.10.11 | 13.10.11 |
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-uiMaven |
14.0-rc-1 up to 14.4.7 | 14.4.7 |
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-uiMaven |
14.5 up to 14.10 | 14.10 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2023-30537 is a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.9) in Xwiki, published April 12, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.04%, the 64th percentile. Fixed in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-flamingo-theme-ui 13.10.11.
References
github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp
github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/df596f15368342236f8899ca122af8f3df0fe2e8
jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20280
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-30537
github.com/advisories/GHSA-vrr8-fp7c-7qgp
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2023/30xxx/CVE-2023-30537.json
github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform