Loading...
Skip to main content

CVE-2025-53836 — Vulnerability in...

CRITICAL

XWiki Rendering is vulnerable to RCE attacks when processing nested macros

Published July 14, 2025Updated September 10, 2026Source: osv

Summary

### Impact The default macro content parser didn't preserve the restricted attribute of the transformation context when executing nested macros. This allows executing macros that are normally forbidden in restricted mode, in particular script macros. The [cache](https://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Cache%20Macro) and [chart](https://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Chart%20Macro) macros that are bundled in XWiki use the vulnerable feature. The following XWiki syntax, when used inside a comment in XWiki, demonstrates the privilege escalation from comment right to programming right and thus remote code execution (RCE) that is possible due to this: ``` {{cache}}{{groovy}}println("Hello from Groovy!"){{/groovy}}{{/cache}} ``` This vulnerability exists since the restricted attribute has been added to the transformation context in version 4.2. ### Patches This has been patched in XWiki 13.10.11, 14.4.7 and 14.10. ### Workarounds To avoid the exploitation of this bug, comments can be disabled for untrusted users until an upgrade to a patched version has been performed. Note that users with edit rights will still be able to add comments via the object editor even if comments have been disabled. ### Resources * https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/commit/c73fa3ccd4ac59057e48e5d4325f659e78e8f86d * https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XRENDERING-689 * https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-20375 ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Open an issue in [Jira XWiki.org](https://jira.xwiki.org/) * Email us at [Security Mailing List](mailto:security@xwiki.org) ### Attribution This vulnerability has been reported on Intigriti by René de Sain @renniepak.

Advisory Timeline

  • First published July 14, 2025 (455 days ago).
  • Last revised September 10, 2026 — 422 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Maven
Update org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro to 13.10.11 or later
<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 13.10.11 for org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro -->
Maven
Update org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro to 14.10 or later
<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 14.10 for org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro -->
Maven
Update org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro to 14.4.7 or later
<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 14.4.7 for org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro -->

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (3)

Affects 1 ecosystem: maven (1).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro
maven
10.0, 10.1, 10.1-rc-1, 10.10 (+336 more)13.10.11
org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro
maven
14.5, 14.6, 14.6-rc-1, 14.7 (+5 more)14.10
org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro
maven
14.0, 14.1, 14.1-rc-1, 14.2 (+13 more)14.4.7

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-863
    Incorrect AuthorizationMITRE
  • CWE-94
    Code InjectionMITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 9.9 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-53836?
XWiki Rendering is vulnerable to RCE attacks when processing nested macros This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 9.9/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2025-53836?
CVE-2025-53836 affects org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-transformation-macro. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2025-53836 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
9.9

Exploitation is straightforward and causes maximum impact. Patch immediately.

Also Known As

GHSA-32mf-57h2-64x9

Related CVEs

  • CVE-2025-53837
    CRITICAL

    org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-xml has an Eval Injection issue

  • CVE-2023-37908
    CRITICAL

    org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-xml Improper Neutralization of Invalid Characters in Identifiers in Web Pages vulnerability

  • CVE-2023-32070
    CRITICAL

    Improper Neutralization of Script in Attributes in XWiki (X)HTML renderers

  • CVE-2026-107726
    CRITICAL

    Hazelcast allows arbitrary member memory access by low-privileged client

  • CVE-2026-107282
    CRITICAL

    AsyncHttpClient: Replay to a different host sends the original host request and credentials to the new host

  • CVE-2025-53835
    CRITICAL

    XWiki Rendering is vulnerable to XSS attacks through insecure XHTML syntax

  • CVE-2025-66474
    HIGH

    XWiki vulnerable to remote code execution through insufficient protection against {{/html}} injection

Check if you're affected

Scan your dependencies to see if this vulnerability affects your projects.

Scan Your Dependencies