CVE-2025-49582 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the XWiki platform, a widely used generic wiki software. The vulnerability stems from an incomplete implementation of protection mechanisms designed to prevent unauthorized execution of potentially dangerous macros authored by users with limited rights. Specifically, since XWiki version 15.9-rc1, the platform introduced warnings when editing content containing macros that could execute malicious scripts. However, the rights analyzers responsible for triggering these warnings are flawed. They fail to properly analyze macro parameters that are not in lowercase, and many parameters that can contain XWiki syntax—such as titles of information boxes or the "source" parameters of the content and context macros—are not analyzed at all. This oversight allows attackers to embed malicious script macros, including Groovy or Python scripts, into wiki pages. These malicious macros remain hidden until a user with programming rights edits the page, at which point the scripts execute, potentially leading to remote code execution (RCE). The vulnerability affects multiple versions of XWiki: from 15.9-rc1 up to but not including 16.4.7, from 16.5.0-rc1 up to but not including 16.10.3, and from 17.0.0-rc1 up to but not including 17.0.0. The issue was addressed in versions 16.4.7, 16.10.3, and 17.0.0 by enhancing the robustness and coverage of the rights analyzers. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 8.6, reflecting the network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and user interaction needed, with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the potential for remote code execution makes this a critical concern for affected deployments.

For European organizations using vulnerable versions of XWiki, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. The ability for an attacker to inject malicious macros that execute upon editing by privileged users can lead to remote code execution, compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the wiki platform and potentially the underlying server infrastructure. This can result in unauthorized data access, data manipulation, or complete system takeover. Organizations relying on XWiki for internal documentation, collaboration, or knowledge management may face operational disruptions, data breaches, and reputational damage. Given that XWiki is often used in enterprise and government environments, exploitation could also impact sensitive or regulated information. The requirement for user interaction (a privileged user editing the page) somewhat limits the immediacy of exploitation but does not eliminate the risk, especially in environments with multiple users having programming rights. The vulnerability's exploitation could serve as a foothold for further lateral movement within networks, increasing the overall threat landscape for affected European entities.

1. Immediate upgrade: Organizations should promptly upgrade all XWiki instances to versions 16.4.7, 16.10.3, or 17.0.0 or later, where the vulnerability has been fixed. 2. Privilege review: Conduct a thorough audit of user permissions, especially focusing on users with programming rights. Limit these privileges strictly to essential personnel to reduce the risk of malicious macro execution. 3. Macro usage policy: Implement strict policies governing the creation and editing of macros. Disable or restrict the use of Groovy and Python macros unless absolutely necessary. 4. Input validation enhancements: Where possible, apply additional input validation or sanitization on macro parameters, particularly those that can contain XWiki syntax or script content, to detect and block suspicious inputs. 5. Monitoring and alerting: Deploy monitoring solutions to detect unusual editing activities by privileged users and anomalous macro insertions. Set up alerts for any macro executions that deviate from normal patterns. 6. User training: Educate users with programming rights about the risks of editing untrusted content and the importance of verifying macro content before saving changes. 7. Network segmentation: Isolate XWiki servers within secure network segments to limit the potential impact of a successful exploit. 8. Backup and recovery: Maintain regular backups of XWiki content and configurations to enable rapid restoration in case of compromise.