CVE-2025-43771
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes multiple stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Liferay Portal and DXP notifications widget. Attackers can inject malicious scripts into user profile fields and content flagging features, which execute when other users view notifications. Organizations running affected Liferay versions are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Liferay Portal
- Liferay DXP
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal session cookies, perform actions as authenticated users, deface content, or redirect users to malicious sites, potentially leading to account compromise and data theft.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious scripts that execute in victims' browsers when viewing notifications, potentially stealing session tokens or performing limited unauthorized actions.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, malicious payloads would be neutralized before execution, preventing successful exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated user access to inject payloads into the specified fields; exploitation is straightforward once authenticated.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Liferay Portal 7.4.3.112+; Liferay DXP 2023.Q4.6+ and 2023.Q3.11+
Vendor Advisory: https://liferay.dev/portal/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/jekt/content/CVE-2025-43771
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Download the latest patched version from Liferay's official portal. 2. Follow Liferay's upgrade documentation for your deployment type. 3. Test the upgrade in a staging environment first. 4. Apply to production systems during maintenance windows.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allImplement server-side validation and HTML encoding for the affected fields (First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Other Reason, flagged content name) to neutralize XSS payloads.
Content Security Policy (CSP)
allImplement a strict Content Security Policy header to mitigate the impact of successful XSS injections by restricting script execution sources.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable or restrict access to the notifications widget if not business-critical.
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payload patterns targeting the vulnerable fields.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check your Liferay version via Control Panel → Configuration → Server Administration → System Information. If version falls within affected ranges, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
Check via Liferay UI or examine liferay-portal.xml/liferay-dxp.xml version properties.Verify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify version is 7.4.3.112+ for Portal or 2023.Q4.6+/2023.Q3.11+ for DXP. Test by attempting to inject basic XSS payloads into the affected fields and confirming they are properly sanitized.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual patterns in user profile updates with script-like content
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by profile modifications
- Log entries showing script tags or JavaScript in field submissions
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing script tags or JavaScript in the vulnerable field parameters
- Unusual outbound connections from user browsers after viewing notifications
SIEM Query:
source="liferay-logs" AND (message:"<script>" OR message:"javascript:") AND (field:"firstName" OR field:"middleName" OR field:"lastName" OR field:"otherReason")