CVE-2022-42118 Scanner

Liferay Portal is a widely-used open-source enterprise portal solution that companies and organizations use to build web portals, corporate intranets, extranets, websites, and social collaboration platforms. Users can manage content, create workflows, and develop and deploy business applications. Its accessibility in both browser-based and mobile interfaces makes it a flexible and user-friendly choice. The platform supports numerous features, including content management, identity management, and integration capabilities, assisting organizations in streamlining data and communications. Furthermore, Liferay Portal supports various industries, providing adaptable, scalable solutions tailored to meet specific business needs. It's commonly used by enterprises to create complex web applications for internal and external audiences.

The cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability detected in Liferay Portal is a flaw that allows attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML in the context of the user's browser. This particular XSS vulnerability affects the Portal Search module. By injecting code via the `tag` parameter, attackers can manipulate the data returned by the application to inject malicious scripts. The effect of this vulnerability is contingent on the responsibility of keeping input and output sanitization maintained inadequately. Unpatched instances allow attackers unauthorized access to sensitive information. XSS vulnerabilities are dangerous as they allow attackers to execute scripts in the victim's browser, potentially leading to data theft, session hijacking, and other security breaches.

This vulnerability is introduced through improper handling of the `tag` parameter within Liferay's search functionality. When a user inputs unsanitized script tags, these are rendered and executed as part of the web page returned to the end-user. This issue is exploitable through crafted URLs leading to the vulnerable endpoint `/web/guest/home`. The vulnerability lies in the insufficient input validation allowing injection of javascript code. The browser's execution of the injected code occurs due to the absence of proper escape mechanisms. The security flaw can be exploited maliciously to steal cookies, session tokens, or redirect users to potentially malicious sites.

When exploited, this vulnerability may cause significant security incidents such as unauthorized access to user sessions and data theft. This can lead to significant business harm, especially if confidential or sensitive data is breached. User trust can also be jeopardized due to unauthorized information disclosure. Businesses may face legal repercussions and financial losses due to data protection laws like GDPR. Additionally, competitors may exploit exposed information, impacting company competitiveness. Thus, the failure to remediate such vulnerabilities promptly poses severe risks to business reputation and operational security.

REFERENCES

• https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17342
• https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/cve-2022-42118
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-42118