CVE-2017-12645 in Liferay
Summary
by MITRE
XSS exists in Liferay Portal before 7.0 CE GA4 via an invalid portletId.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/04/2019
The vulnerability CVE-2017-12645 represents a cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Liferay Portal versions prior to 7.0 CE GA4, specifically within the portlet handling mechanism. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation when processing portlet identifiers, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The flaw exists in the portal's core functionality that manages portlet lifecycle and identification, making it a critical security concern for organizations relying on Liferay's enterprise portal platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper sanitization of the portletId parameter within Liferay's portal infrastructure. When the system processes requests containing malformed or malicious portlet identifiers, it fails to adequately filter or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious URLs or form submissions that include script payloads, which then get executed in the context of other users' browsers when they access pages containing the vulnerable portlet references. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into web content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, data theft, and privilege escalation within the portal environment. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to steal user credentials, modify content, redirect users to malicious sites, or even gain administrative access if the vulnerable portlet operates with elevated privileges. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Liferay Portal serves as a foundation for enterprise web applications, making the potential damage significant for organizations with extensive portal deployments. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 - Account Access Removal, as successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access and privilege elevation within the portal ecosystem.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement patch management procedures to upgrade to Liferay Portal 7.0 CE GA4 or later versions where the issue has been resolved. The fix typically involves enhanced input validation and output encoding mechanisms that properly sanitize portlet identifiers before they are processed or rendered in web pages. Additional mitigations include implementing web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious portletId parameters, restricting user permissions to minimize potential impact, and conducting thorough security assessments of portal configurations to identify other potential injection points. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should also be deployed to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in web applications and underscores the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle to prevent similar issues from emerging in production environments.