CVE-2023-40176
CRITICALEPSS 100th pctlDescription
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Any registered user can exploit a stored XSS through their user profile by setting the payload as the value of the time zone user preference. Even though the time zone is selected from a drop down (no free text value) it can still be set from JavaScript (using the browser developer tools) or by calling the save URL on the user profile with the right query string. Once the time zone is set it is displayed without escaping which means the payload gets executed for any user that visits the malicious user profile, allowing the attacker to steal information and even gain more access rights (escalation to programming rights). This issue is present since version 4.1M2 when the time zone user preference was introduced. The issue has been fixed in XWiki 14.10.5 and 15.1RC1.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 100% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-79 (Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2018-12998 | Medium | 6.1 | 99% | - | - |
| CVE-2020-11022 | Medium | 6.9 | 99% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-3929 | Critical | 9.8 | 99% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2020-9496 | Medium | 6.1 | 99% | - | - |
| CVE-2023-28341 | Medium | 6.1 | 99% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2025-4123 | High | 7.6 | 98% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2023-40176?
Upgrade xwiki to 14.10.5 or later.
Is CVE-2023-40176 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2023-40176 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 78.9% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 100% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2023-40176?
CVE-2023-40176 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.0, rated critical. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2023-40176 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for xwiki (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
Embed a live status badge for CVE-2023-40176
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2024-11-21.