Detect CVE-2026-44179: XWiki Pro Macros RCE via Excerpt-Include Macro in Google Chronicle
Detects exploitation of CVE-2026-44179, a critical remote code execution vulnerability in com.xwiki.pro:xwiki-pro-macros versions >= 1.13 and < 1.14.5. The vulnerability (CWE-95: Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code) allows unauthenticated or low-privileged attackers to execute arbitrary code on the server by injecting malicious Groovy/Velocity script expressions into XWiki page titles or content that are subsequently processed by the excerpt-include macro. A public proof-of-concept is available.
MITRE ATT&CK
YARA-L Detection Query
rule xwiki_pro_macros_rce_cve_2026_44179 {
meta:
author = "df00tech detection engineering"
description = "Detects RCE exploitation of CVE-2026-44179 in xwiki-pro-macros via excerpt-include macro SSTI"
severity = "CRITICAL"
priority = "HIGH"
reference = "https://github.com/xwikisas/xwiki-pro-macros/security/advisories/GHSA-w56x-9778-rppx"
mitre_attack_tactic = "Execution"
mitre_attack_technique = "T1059"
events:
(
$proc.metadata.event_type = "PROCESS_LAUNCH"
and re.regex($proc.principal.process.file.full_path, `(?i)(java|xwiki)`)
and re.regex($proc.target.process.file.full_path, `(?i)(bash|/sh|dash|zsh|cmd\.exe|powershell\.exe|whoami|wget|curl|ncat|nc\.exe|python)`)
)
or
(
$proc.metadata.event_type = "NETWORK_CONNECTION"
and re.regex($proc.principal.process.file.full_path, `(?i)(java|xwiki)`)
and $proc.target.port in (4444, 1337, 9001, 8888)
and $proc.network.direction = "OUTBOUND"
)
condition:
$proc
}Chronicle YARA-L rule detecting process launch and network connection events from Java/XWiki processes consistent with RCE exploitation via the excerpt-include macro vulnerability CVE-2026-44179.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Authorized XWiki customizations using Groovy scripting that invoke system commands for approved purposes
- Java-based application monitoring agents co-located with XWiki on the same host
- Outbound connections from the XWiki JVM to approved integration endpoints on non-standard ports
- Security tooling running under the xwiki service account
Other platforms for CVE-2026-44179
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 3 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1XWiki Excerpt-Include SSTI via Groovy Script Block
Expected signal: Process creation event showing java (or catalina) as parent process and a subprocess running 'id' or 'sh -c id'. Network logs may show the HTTP response containing the output of the id command.
- Test 2XWiki RCE Reverse Shell via Excerpt-Include Macro
Expected signal: Outbound TCP connection from the XWiki host JVM process to ATTACKER_IP:4444. Process tree shows java -> bash with interactive shell flags. Network flow records an established connection on port 4444.
- Test 3XWiki File Write via RCE to Establish Persistence
Expected signal: File creation event for /tmp/xwiki_rce_proof.txt with the Java/Tomcat process as the creator. Audit log (auditd or Sysmon for Linux) records a file open/write syscall from the java process.
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