CVE-2023-33946 in Liferay
Summary
by MITRE • 05/24/2023
The Object module in Liferay Portal 7.4.3.4 through 7.4.3.48, and Liferay DXP 7.4 before update 49 does properly isolate objects in difference virtual instances, which allows remote authenticated users in one virtual instance to view objects in a different virtual instance via OAuth 2 scope administration page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/17/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2023-33946 represents a critical access control flaw within the Object module of Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP platforms. This issue affects versions ranging from 7.4.3.4 through 7.4.3.48 of Liferay Portal and all versions of Liferay DXP 7.4 prior to update 49. The core problem lies in the improper isolation of objects across different virtual instances, which fundamentally undermines the security boundaries that should exist between separate tenant environments within the same platform instance. This vulnerability specifically impacts the OAuth 2 scope administration page, where the lack of proper access controls allows malicious actors to exploit the system's object isolation mechanisms.
The technical flaw manifests when remote authenticated users within one virtual instance can access objects belonging to different virtual instances through the OAuth 2 scope administration interface. This occurs due to insufficient validation and authorization checks that should normally prevent cross-tenant data access. Virtual instances in Liferay are designed to provide complete isolation between different organizations or tenants using the same platform, ensuring that data and configurations remain separate and secure. The vulnerability essentially allows an attacker to bypass these isolation mechanisms, potentially gaining access to sensitive information, configuration data, or operational details belonging to other tenants within the same Liferay instance.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant and multifaceted. An authenticated attacker with access to one virtual instance can potentially compromise the data integrity and confidentiality of other instances within the same Liferay deployment. This cross-tenant data leakage could expose sensitive business information, customer data, internal configurations, or proprietary business logic that should remain isolated. The vulnerability affects not just individual data access but also the fundamental multi-tenancy architecture that organizations rely on for secure cloud deployments. Organizations using Liferay for SaaS or multi-tenant hosting environments face particular risk, as this flaw could allow attackers to access data from competing organizations or clients sharing the same platform infrastructure.
The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-284 - Improper Access Control, which specifically addresses insufficient access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized access to resources. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this represents a privilege escalation and data access technique where an attacker leverages existing authenticated access to expand their scope of information gathering. The attack vector involves exploiting the OAuth 2 scope administration page, which typically requires legitimate authentication but fails to enforce proper tenant boundaries. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches, reviewing OAuth 2 scope configurations, and implementing additional access controls that enforce virtual instance boundaries. Network segmentation and monitoring of cross-tenant access patterns should also be implemented to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining proper isolation in multi-tenant environments and the necessity of regular security assessments to identify similar access control weaknesses in enterprise portal platforms.