CVE-2023-47797 in Liferay
Summary
by MITRE • 11/17/2023
Reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability on a content page’s edit page in Liferay Portal 7.4.3.94 through 7.4.3.95 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the `p_l_back_url_title` parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2023
This reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability exists within the Liferay Portal content management system affecting versions 7.4.3.94 through 7.4.3.95. The flaw manifests on the content page's edit page where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being reflected back to the browser. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads in the `p_l_back_url_title` parameter which is then executed in the context of other users' browsers who visit the affected page. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws where untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper validation or encoding. This weakness enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it represents a significant security risk for organizations relying on Liferay Portal for content management and collaboration. Remote attackers can leverage this flaw to inject malicious code that persists in the application's response, allowing them to manipulate user sessions, steal sensitive information, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not need to store malicious payloads on the server, making detection more difficult and exploitation more straightforward. This weakness directly maps to attack techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under TA0001 Initial Access and TA0002 Execution, as it provides a vector for attackers to establish a foothold and execute malicious code within the victim's browser context.
Organizations using affected Liferay Portal versions should implement immediate mitigations to protect against exploitation of this vulnerability. The most effective approach involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding for all parameters received from user input, particularly those used in URL parameters like `p_l_back_url_title`. The application should sanitize all user-supplied data before incorporating it into HTML responses, applying context-specific encoding such as HTML entity encoding for content rendered in web pages. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) can provide an additional layer of protection by restricting the sources from which scripts can be loaded and executed. Organizations should also consider upgrading to patched versions of Liferay Portal as soon as possible, as the vulnerability affects a specific range of releases and newer versions likely contain fixes for this reflected XSS weakness. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in URL parameters that might indicate exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify that all user inputs are properly validated and sanitized across the entire application surface.