CVE-2011-1504 in Liferay
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Liferay Portal Community Edition (CE) 5.x and 6.x before 6.0.6 GA allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a blog title.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2017
The CVE-2011-1504 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Liferay Portal Community Edition versions 5.x and 6.x prior to 6.0.6 GA. This vulnerability specifically affects the blog functionality within the portal platform, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code through manipulated blog titles. The flaw exists in the input validation and output encoding mechanisms of the blogging component, where user-supplied data is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because it affects authenticated users, meaning that attackers need only gain access to legitimate user accounts to exploit this weakness, reducing the attack surface and increasing the potential for successful exploitation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an authenticated user creates or modifies a blog entry with malicious script content in the title field. When other users view the blog entry, the malicious script executes in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. The vulnerability's persistence stems from inadequate input filtering and output encoding practices within the Liferay Portal's blog management system. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute various malicious activities including but not limited to cookie theft, defacement of the portal content, or redirection to phishing sites that can harvest user credentials. The vulnerability's remediation requires proper implementation of input validation and output encoding mechanisms, ensuring that all user-supplied content is properly sanitized before being stored or displayed. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which involves the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities to execute malicious code, and specifically targets the credential access and execution phases of the attack lifecycle.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-1504 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can compromise the entire portal ecosystem and user trust. Organizations running affected Liferay versions face potential data breaches, service disruption, and reputational damage when this vulnerability is exploited. The authentication requirement does not prevent the vulnerability from being exploited in multi-user environments where attackers can leverage compromised accounts or gain access through other means. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of Liferay Portal's collaborative features, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate content and compromise the integrity of user-generated information. Security teams must consider this vulnerability in their risk assessment frameworks, particularly when evaluating the security posture of enterprise portal solutions. The vulnerability's exploitation can lead to broader security incidents including privilege escalation, lateral movement within the network, and data exfiltration. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management strategies and security monitoring to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper web application security practices, including input validation, output encoding, and regular security assessments to prevent similar issues from occurring in other components of the portal platform.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of their Liferay Portal installations to version 6.0.6 GA or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Additionally, administrators should implement input validation controls at multiple layers, including application-level filtering and content security policies to prevent malicious scripts from being injected into the system. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious user activities and content modifications that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust security controls in web applications. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the portal infrastructure. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that the applied patches do not introduce compatibility issues or disrupt existing portal functionality while effectively addressing the XSS vulnerability. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and additional security controls to provide defense-in-depth protection against similar exploitation techniques.