CVE-2011-1503 in Liferay
Summary
by MITRE
The XSL Content portlet in Liferay Portal Community Edition (CE) 5.x and 6.x before 6.0.6 GA, when Apache Tomcat or Oracle GlassFish is used, allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary (1) XSL and (2) XML files via a file:/// URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1503 resides within the XSL Content portlet of Liferay Portal Community Edition versions 5.x and 6.x prior to 6.0.6 GA. This security flaw manifests when Liferay Portal operates in conjunction with Apache Tomcat or Oracle GlassFish application servers, creating an exploitable condition that affects remote authenticated users. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and improper handling of file URI schemes within the portlet's processing logic.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of file:/// URL schemes within the XSL Content portlet functionality. When authenticated users submit malicious file URIs to the portlet, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize these inputs before processing. This allows attackers to traverse the file system and access arbitrary XSL and XML files that reside on the server. The flaw essentially permits path traversal attacks against the underlying file system, bypassing normal access controls and authorization mechanisms that should normally protect sensitive files.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant security risk as it enables unauthorized information disclosure. Attackers can leverage this flaw to access sensitive configuration files, application source code, and potentially database connection details that are stored in XML or XSL formats. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality aspect of the CIA triad by allowing unauthorized data access. Given that Liferay Portal serves as a content management platform, the exposure of these files could lead to further exploitation opportunities including potential privilege escalation or information gathering for more sophisticated attacks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, and specifically relates to path traversal attacks. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and potentially T1566 (Phishing with Malicious Attachment) if attackers can use the disclosed information to craft more targeted attacks. The authentication requirement suggests this is a privilege escalation vector rather than a direct exploitation path, though the impact remains significant as it allows access to files that should normally be restricted to authorized personnel only.
Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patch for Liferay Portal 6.0.6 GA or upgrade to a supported version that addresses this vulnerability. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the exposure of the XSL Content portlet functionality. Additional mitigations include monitoring for suspicious file access patterns and implementing proper input validation at all levels of the application stack. Regular security assessments should verify that the patch has been properly applied and that no other similar vulnerabilities exist within the portal's codebase or associated components.