CVE-2025-43765 in Liferay
Summary
by MITRE • 08/23/2025
A Stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in the Liferay Portal 7.4.0 through 7.4.3.131, and Liferay DXP 2024.Q4.0, 2024.Q3.1 through 2024.Q3.13, 2024.Q2.0 through 2024.Q2.13, 2024.Q1.1 through 2024.Q1.13 and 7.4 GA through update 92 allows an remote non-authenticated attacker to inject JavaScript into the text field from a web content.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw affecting multiple versions of Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP platforms. The vulnerability exists within the web content management system's text field processing capabilities, where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being stored and subsequently rendered to other users. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into text fields that are then executed in the browsers of other users who view the affected content. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting attacks where untrusted data is improperly handled within the application's output generation process.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the lack of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Liferay platform's content management subsystem. When administrators or users create web content containing text fields, the system fails to adequately sanitize the input before storing it in the database. This stored content is then retrieved and rendered to other users without proper HTML escaping or JavaScript context encoding, creating a persistent XSS vector. The vulnerability affects versions ranging from Liferay Portal 7.4.0 through 7.4.3.131 and multiple DXP releases including 2024.Q4.0, 2024.Q3.1 through 2024.Q3.13, 2024.Q2.0 through 2024.Q2.13, 2024.Q1.1 through 2024.Q1.13, and 7.4 GA through update 92, indicating a widespread impact across the platform's ecosystem.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of affected users' browsers without requiring authentication. This creates numerous attack vectors including session hijacking, credential theft, redirection to malicious sites, and potential privilege escalation within the application. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that persistently affect all users who view the compromised content, making this a particularly dangerous vulnerability for enterprise environments where content management systems are extensively used. The attack chain follows the typical XSS exploitation pattern where the attacker injects malicious code, stores it through the vulnerable web content field, and then waits for victims to view the content, triggering the execution of the injected JavaScript.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data flow. Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patches or updates addressing this vulnerability, as recommended in the ATT&CK framework's approach to mitigating web application vulnerabilities. The security controls should include implementing proper HTML sanitization libraries, enforcing Content Security Policy headers, and ensuring that all user-generated content undergoes strict validation before storage. Additionally, network-level protections such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be configured to monitor for known XSS payload patterns. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in custom extensions or third-party integrations that may be present within the Liferay environment, as this vulnerability could indicate broader security gaps in the application's input handling mechanisms.