CVE-2023-50723 is a critical security vulnerability affecting the XWiki Platform, a widely used generic wiki platform. The flaw is classified under CWE-95 (Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code, commonly known as 'Eval Injection') and CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code). This vulnerability exists in versions starting from 2.3 up to versions prior to 14.10.15, 15.5.2, and 15.7-rc-1. The root cause is missing escaping in the code responsible for displaying sections in the administration interface, specifically in the `XWiki.ConfigurableClassMacros` and `XWiki.ConfigurableClass` pages. This improper neutralization allows an attacker who can edit any arbitrary wiki page to inject malicious code that is dynamically evaluated by the platform. Since all users typically have permission to edit their own user profiles, this vulnerability is exploitable by any authenticated user without requiring additional privileges or user interaction. Successful exploitation grants the attacker programming rights within the XWiki instance, enabling them to execute arbitrary code, manipulate data, and potentially take full control of the wiki installation. This leads to a complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 score of 10.0, indicating a critical severity level. Patches addressing this issue were released in versions 14.10.15, 15.5.2, and 15.7-rc-1. Organizations can also manually apply patches to the affected pages to mitigate the risk. No known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date, but the ease of exploitation and the critical impact make it a high-priority issue for remediation.

For European organizations using XWiki Platform, this vulnerability poses a severe risk. Since XWiki is often deployed for internal documentation, collaboration, and knowledge management, a compromise could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive corporate information, intellectual property theft, and disruption of business operations. Attackers gaining programming rights can alter or delete critical content, inject malicious scripts to target other internal systems, or use the compromised wiki as a foothold for lateral movement within the network. The vulnerability affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability simultaneously, making it a comprehensive threat. Given that many European organizations rely on open-source collaboration tools like XWiki, especially in sectors such as government, education, and research, the potential for data breaches and operational disruptions is significant. Furthermore, compliance with GDPR and other data protection regulations could be jeopardized if personal or sensitive data stored in the wiki is exposed or manipulated. The lack of requirement for elevated privileges or user interaction increases the likelihood of exploitation in environments where user profile editing is enabled by default.

European organizations should prioritize upgrading their XWiki Platform installations to versions 14.10.15, 15.5.2, 15.7-rc-1, or later, where the vulnerability is patched. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, manual application of patches to the `XWiki.ConfigurableClassMacros` and `XWiki.ConfigurableClass` pages should be performed to neutralize the vulnerability. Administrators should audit user permissions to restrict editing capabilities, especially for users who do not require profile editing rights, to reduce the attack surface. Implementing strict input validation and escaping mechanisms in custom wiki macros or scripts can further mitigate injection risks. Monitoring and logging of wiki page edits, particularly those involving administrative or configuration pages, should be enhanced to detect suspicious activities promptly. Network segmentation and limiting access to the wiki platform to trusted internal networks or VPN users can reduce exposure. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on wiki platforms to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities proactively.