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TikiApplication

CVE-2023-22853

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 24.1 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Tiki before 24.1, when feature_create_webhelp is enabled, allows lib/structures/structlib.php PHP Object Injection because of an eval.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Tiki Wiki CMS before version 24.1 contains a PHP Object Injection vulnerability in lib/structures/structlib.php when the feature_create_webhelp feature is enabled. The vulnerability stems from unsafe use of eval() on user-controlled data, allowing authenticated attackers to inject serialized PHP objects and potentially achieve remote code execution.

MitigationDisable the feature_create_webhelp setting if not needed, or upgrade to Tiki 24.1 or later which removes the unsafe eval() call. If the feature is required, implement proper input validation and avoid eval() entirely.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
TikiApplication
Affected:< 24.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Tiki Wiki CMS installation
    Locate the Tiki installation directory and identify if this is a Tiki Wiki CMS instance. Check for typical Tiki files such as index.php, tiki-setup.php, or the tiki/ directory structure.
    Affected if The system is not running Tiki Wiki CMS, then this CVE does not apply.
  2. Check installed Tiki version
    Look for a version indicator in the Tiki installation. Common locations include: a VERSION file in the root directory, the tiki/version.php file, or the admin panel under Admin > System > Info. Compare the version number to the affected range (< 24.1).
    Affected if The installed version is 24.1 or higher, the vulnerability is not present. Versions below 24.1 are potentially affected.
  3. Verify feature_create_webhelp is enabled
    Check the Tiki configuration for the feature_create_webhelp setting. This can typically be found in the database table tiki_preferences, or in the tiki-admin.php admin panel under Wiki settings. Look for feature_create_webhelp set to 'y' or '1'.
    Affected if feature_create_webhelp is disabled (set to 'n', '0', or not present), the vulnerable code path is not triggered even in versions below 24.1.
  4. Inspect the vulnerable file for unsafe eval()
    Examine the file lib/structures/structlib.php in the Tiki installation. Search for eval() calls within functions related to webhelp creation. The vulnerability exists when user input flows into an eval() statement.
    Affected if The eval() call with unsanitized user input is present in structlib.php and the feature_create_webhelp is enabled, the system is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection.

The system is affected only if it runs Tiki Wiki CMS version below 24.1 AND has the feature_create_webhelp setting enabled, allowing authenticated attackers to inject PHP objects via the unsafe eval() in structlib.php.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 24.1 or later
Fixed in 24.1
Interim mitigation

Disable the feature_create_webhelp setting if not needed, or upgrade to Tiki 24.1 or later which removes the unsafe eval() call. If the feature is required, implement proper input validation and avoid eval() entirely.

Recommended fix High confidence

24.1

  1. Ensure a full backup of the Tiki database and files is created before proceeding
  2. Download Tiki 24.1 from the official Tiki repository or tiki.org
  3. Place the site in maintenance mode or inform users of scheduled downtime
  4. Extract the Tiki 24.1 package and replace the existing Tiki files, preserving local configuration and customizations
  5. Run the Tiki installer/database upgrade script to apply database schema changes for version 24.1
  6. Verify that the feature_create_webhelp setting is properly configured after upgrade
  7. Test the upgrade by accessing key functionality and confirming the site loads correctly
  8. Remove any cached files and clear application caches

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Tiki Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-22853 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data