CVE-2024-25149 in Liferay
Summary
by MITRE • 02/20/2024
Liferay Portal 7.2.0 through 7.4.1, and older unsupported versions, and Liferay DXP 7.3 before service pack 3, 7.2 before fix pack 15, and older unsupported versions does not properly restrict membership of a child site when the "Limit membership to members of the parent site" option is enabled, which allows remote authenticated users to add users who are not a member of the parent site to a child site. The added user may obtain permission to perform unauthorized actions in the child site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/11/2024
This vulnerability exists in Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP versions ranging from 7.2.0 through 7.4.1 and older unsupported releases, where the system fails to properly enforce membership restrictions when the "Limit membership to members of the parent site" option is activated. The flaw represents a critical access control bypass that undermines the security model designed to maintain hierarchical site permissions. According to CWE-284, this constitutes an improper access control vulnerability where the system does not adequately verify user authorization before granting membership privileges to child sites. The vulnerability specifically targets the site membership validation mechanism, allowing authenticated users to circumvent intended restrictions that should prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing child site resources.
The technical implementation flaw occurs within the site membership validation logic where the system fails to properly check whether a user attempting to be added to a child site is actually a member of the parent site. This allows malicious actors with valid authentication credentials to exploit the permission system and add unauthorized users to child sites. The vulnerability operates at the application level and requires only authenticated access, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by users who have legitimate access to the system but lack proper authorization for specific child sites. The flaw essentially creates a pathway for privilege escalation and unauthorized access to sensitive resources within the child site context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized access to child site resources and potentially perform actions that should be restricted to legitimate parent site members only. This can lead to data exposure, unauthorized modifications, and privilege escalation within the portal environment. The vulnerability affects the core security model of Liferay Portal, undermining the hierarchical site structure that organizations rely upon for access control. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1484 (Domain Policy Modification) as it allows unauthorized access through legitimate credentials and modifies the expected access control policies. Organizations using affected versions may experience unauthorized data access and potential system compromise.
Organizations should immediately apply the relevant security patches provided by Liferay for the affected versions, particularly for Liferay DXP 7.3 service pack 3 and Liferay Portal 7.4.1 releases. The mitigation strategy involves ensuring that all systems are updated to versions that properly enforce the "Limit membership to members of the parent site" restriction. Security administrators should also implement additional monitoring of site membership changes and user additions to child sites, as this vulnerability can be detected through anomalous access patterns. Network segmentation and additional access controls should be considered as temporary mitigations while patches are deployed. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper access control implementation and the need for regular security updates to prevent exploitation of authentication bypass flaws that can lead to broader system compromise.