CVE-2025-29924

Remediation/Mitigation Strategy for CVE-2025-29924: XWiki Platform Information Disclosure

This document outlines the remediation and mitigation strategy for CVE-2025-29924, a vulnerability affecting the XWiki Platform.

1. Vulnerability Description:

  • CVE ID: CVE-2025-29924
  • Affected Product: XWiki Platform
  • Versions Affected: Versions prior to 15.10.14, 16.4.6, and 16.10.0-rc-1
  • Description: This vulnerability allows an unauthenticated user to access private information in subwikis through the REST API (and potentially other APIs). This occurs when specific right options, such as “Prevent unregistered users to view pages” or “Prevent unregistered users to edit pages,” are enabled. Essentially, the intended restriction is not properly enforced by the API.
  • Root Cause: Improper access control enforcement within the XWiki Platform’s API when specific right restrictions are configured on subwikis.

2. Severity:

  • CVSS Score: 8.7 (High)
  • Rationale: The CVSS score of 8.7 indicates a high-severity vulnerability due to the potential for unauthorized access to sensitive information, including potentially private pages within a subwiki. The lack of authentication required for exploitation significantly increases the impact.

3. Known Exploit:

  • Exploitability: An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted request to the XWiki Platform’s REST API to access restricted pages within a vulnerable subwiki. The vulnerability is easily detectable by enabling “Prevent unregistered users to view pages” and attempting to access a page through the REST API without credentials.

4. Remediation Strategy:

  • Primary Solution: Upgrade to a Patched Version: The most effective solution is to upgrade your XWiki Platform instance to one of the following patched versions:
    • XWiki 15.10.14 or later
    • XWiki 16.4.6 or later
    • XWiki 16.10.0RC1 or later
    • Follow the official XWiki upgrade documentation for your specific deployment to ensure a smooth and successful upgrade.
  • Step-by-step instructions for upgrading:
    • Backup your existing XWiki installation.
    • Download the latest version of XWiki platform.
    • Follow XWiki upgrade instructions.

5. Mitigation Strategy (If Upgrade is Not Immediately Possible):

  • If an immediate upgrade is not feasible, consider the following temporary mitigations:
    • Disable REST API Access (If Possible): If your organization does not require the REST API functionality, temporarily disabling it can prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. Evaluate the impact on your applications before disabling the API.
    • Network Segmentation: Isolate the XWiki server within a segmented network to limit the potential impact of a successful exploit.
    • Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules: Implement WAF rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the XWiki REST API. Consult your WAF vendor for assistance in creating appropriate rules.

6. Verification:

  • Post-Upgrade Verification: After applying the patch or mitigation, verify the fix by:
    • Testing the REST API access to restricted pages within a subwiki with “Prevent unregistered users to view pages” or “Prevent unregistered users to edit pages” enabled, without using any credentials. Verify that the access is denied.

7. Communication:

  • Communicate the vulnerability and remediation plan to all relevant stakeholders, including system administrators, developers, and security teams.

8. Timeline:

  • Immediate: Assess the impact of the vulnerability on your organization.
  • Within 24 Hours: Begin planning and scheduling the upgrade or mitigation process.
  • Within 72 Hours: Apply the recommended upgrade or mitigation.
  • Ongoing: Continuously monitor XWiki security advisories and apply patches promptly.

9. Reporting:

  • Report the successful completion of the remediation or mitigation to the security team.

This strategy provides a comprehensive approach to addressing CVE-2025-29924. Prioritize the upgrade to a patched version to permanently resolve the vulnerability. If an upgrade is not immediately possible, implement the suggested mitigations to reduce the risk of exploitation. Regularly review and update this strategy as needed to address any emerging threats or changes in your environment.

Assigner

Date

  • Published Date: 2025-03-19 18:15:25
  • Updated Date: 2025-03-19 20:15:20

More Details

CVE-2025-29924