CVE-2004-2030 in Enterprise Portal
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in index.jsp for Liferay before 2.2.0 release 10/1/2004 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML, as demonstrated using the message subject.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2030 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting Liferay portal software prior to version 2.2.0 released on October 1, 2004. This vulnerability resides within the index.jsp component of the Liferay platform, making it a significant attack surface for malicious actors seeking to compromise web applications. The flaw specifically enables remote attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's user interface, creating persistent security risks for organizations utilizing this portal technology. The vulnerability demonstrates particular concern when attackers exploit the message subject field, which serves as a common input point for user-generated content within portal environments.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization mechanisms within the Liferay portal's index.jsp file. When user-supplied data enters the system through the message subject parameter, the application fails to properly escape or filter special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code by web browsers. This processing gap creates an opportunity for attackers to embed malicious payloads that execute in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability follows the classic XSS attack pattern where untrusted data flows directly into the application's output without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to manipulate the browser's interpretation of the rendered content.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-2030 extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it enables sophisticated attack vectors that can compromise entire user sessions and facilitate further exploitation. An attacker could craft malicious messages with subject lines containing JavaScript payloads that execute when other users view the message list, potentially stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or performing unauthorized actions within the portal environment. This vulnerability particularly affects collaborative portal environments where users frequently interact through message systems, making it a prime target for social engineering attacks. The persistence of such vulnerabilities in portal applications means that successful exploitation can affect multiple users over extended periods, amplifying the potential damage.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of Liferay's official security patches released after October 1, 2004, or upgrading to version 2.2.0 or later. The mitigation strategy should include implementing comprehensive input validation mechanisms, output encoding for all user-supplied content, and regular security assessments of portal components. Security teams should also consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, while establishing monitoring procedures to identify potential exploitation attempts. From a compliance standpoint, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a significant concern under ATT&CK framework category T1059 for command and scripting interpreter techniques. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices in enterprise portal systems and highlights the need for continuous security updates to protect against known attack patterns.