CVE-2025-43739
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows any authenticated user in Liferay Portal/DXP to modify email content sent through the calendar portlet, enabling phishing attacks against other users in the same organization. It affects Liferay Portal 7.4.0-7.4.3.132 and Liferay DXP multiple versions from 7.4 GA through 2025.Q1.6. The attacker must have valid credentials but no special privileges.
💻 Affected Systems
- Liferay Portal
- Liferay DXP
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Organization-wide phishing campaign leading to credential theft, malware distribution, or business email compromise affecting all users.
Likely Case
Targeted phishing attacks against specific users, potentially leading to account compromise or data exfiltration.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if email security controls detect phishing, user awareness is high, and monitoring detects unusual email patterns.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated access and knowledge of calendar portlet functionality. No special privileges needed beyond basic authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Liferay Portal 7.4.3.133+, Liferay DXP 2025.Q1.7+, 2024.Q4.8+, 2024.Q3.14+, 2024.Q2.14+, 2024.Q1.17+, 7.4 update 93+
Vendor Advisory: https://liferay.dev/portal/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/jekt/content/CVE-2025-43739
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Download appropriate fix pack from Liferay Customer Portal. 2. Apply fix pack following Liferay documentation. 3. Verify patch application through version check.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Calendar Portlet
allTemporarily disable calendar portlet functionality to prevent exploitation.
Navigate to Control Panel > Configuration > System Settings > Calendar > Calendar Service, set 'Enabled' to false
Restrict Calendar Access
allLimit calendar portlet access to trusted users only through role-based permissions.
Navigate to Control Panel > Users > Roles, modify calendar-related permissions for standard user roles
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict email security controls (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to detect spoofed emails
- Enhance user awareness training about phishing risks and verification procedures
- Monitor calendar portlet usage logs for unusual email sending patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Liferay version in Control Panel > Server Administration > Properties, compare against affected versions list.Check Version:
Check via Control Panel UI or server logs for version information.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify version shows patched version (7.4.3.133+ for Portal, appropriate fix pack for DXP). Test calendar email functionality with non-admin user.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual calendar email activity patterns
- Multiple email sends from single user via calendar
- Calendar portlet access from unexpected user accounts
Network Indicators:
- Outbound emails with modified content originating from calendar portlet
- Email headers showing calendar portlet as source with suspicious content
SIEM Query:
source="liferay" AND (event="calendar_email_send" OR event="portlet_calendar") AND user!="admin" AND count>5