CVE-2023-37277: XWiki Platform vulnerable to cross-site request forgery (CSRF) via the REST API
Impact
The REST API allows executing all actions via POST requests and accepts text/plain, multipart/form-data or application/www-form-urlencoded as content types which can be sent via regular HTML forms, thus allowing cross-site request forgery. With the interaction of a user with programming rights, this allows remote code execution through script macros and thus impacts the integrity, availability and confidentiality of the whole XWiki installation.
For regular cookie-based authentication, the vulnerability is mitigated by SameSite cookie restrictions but as of March 2023, these are not enabled by default in Firefox and Safari.
Patches The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 14.10.8 and 15.2 by requiring a CSRF token header for certain request types that are susceptible to CSRF attacks.
Workarounds
It is possible to check for the Origin header in a reverse proxy to protect the REST endpoint from CSRF attacks, see the Jira issue for an example configuration.
References
https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20135 https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/4c175405faa0e62437df397811c7526dfc0fbae7
Other sources
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. The REST API allows executing all actions via POST requests and accepts text/plain, multipart/form-data or application/www-form-urlencoded as content types which can be sent via regular HTML forms, thus allowing cross-site request forgery. With the interaction of a user with programming rights, this allows remote code execution through script macros and thus impacts the integrity, availability and confidentiality of the whole XWiki installation. For regular cookie-based authentication, the vulnerability is mitigated by SameSite cookie restrictions but as of March 2023, these are not enabled by default in Firefox and Safari. The vulnerability has been patched in XWiki 14.10.8 and 15.2 by requiring a CSRF token header for certain request types that are susceptible to CSRF attacks.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
maven/org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rest-serverto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 15.2 - Upgrade
Upgrade
maven/com.xpn.xwiki.platform:xwiki-restto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 14.10.8 - Upgrade
Upgrade
maven/com.xpn.xwiki.platform:xwiki-core-rest-serverto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 14.10.8 - Upgrade
Upgrade
maven/org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-rest-serverto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 14.10.8 - Upgrade
Upgrade
XWiki Platformto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 14.10.8 - Upgrade
Upgrade
XWiki Platformto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 15.2 - Configuration
Patch behavior: require a CSRF token header for certain request types susceptible to CSRF attacks (as included in XWiki 14.10.8 and 15.2).
XWiki Platform REST API CSRF token header requirement (for susceptible request types) = required - Compensating control
For CSRF mitigation at the reverse proxy, check for the `Origin` header to protect the REST endpoint (use the example configuration from Jira XWIKI-20135).
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2023-37277?
CVE-2023-37277 is a vulnerability in XWiki Platform that allows execution of all actions via POST requests with certain content types, potentially leading to unauthorized access or other attacks.
How severe is CVE-2023-37277?
CVE-2023-37277 has a severity rating of critical with a score of 9.
Which versions of XWiki Platform are affected by CVE-2023-37277?
Versions between 1.8 and 14.10.8, and versions between 15.0 and 15.2 of XWiki Platform are affected by CVE-2023-37277.
How can I fix CVE-2023-37277?
To fix CVE-2023-37277, it is recommended to update XWiki Platform to a version that includes the necessary security patches.
Where can I find more information about CVE-2023-37277?
You can find more information about CVE-2023-37277 in the XWiki issue tracker and security advisories.