CVE-2021-29041
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedDenial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability in the Multi-Factor Authentication module in Liferay DXP 7.3 before fix pack 1 allows remote authenticated attackers to prevent any user from authenticating by (1) enabling Time-based One-time password (TOTP) on behalf of the other user or (2) modifying the other user's TOTP shared secret.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIn Liferay DXP 7.3 before fix pack 1, an authenticated attacker with access to the MFA module can cause denial of service by either enabling TOTP on behalf of another user or modifying another user's TOTP shared secret. This disrupts the victim's authentication mechanism, preventing legitimate login.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 7.3= 7.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify LiferL DXP versionCheck the installed LiferL DXP version through the control panel or examine the portal.properties file for the version numberAffected if The installed version is 7.3 without fix pack 1 or later, or any version below 7.3 that includes the MFA module
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Verify if MFA module is accessibleReview user roles and permissions to determine which authenticated users have access to the MFA/TOTP management functions in the control panelAffected if Users with standard authenticated access can access TOTP settings for other users, indicating overly permissive MFA permissions
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Confirm TOTP configuration existsExamine the MFA module configuration and verify whether TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) is enabled as an authentication method in the systemAffected if TOTP is enabled and the system is running an affected LiferL DXP version (7.3 without fix pack 1)
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Audit TOTP user assignmentsReview the TOTP user configuration records to check for any unexpected or unauthorized TOTP secret assignments to users who did not configure them themselvesAffected if TOTP secrets are assigned to users without their initiation, indicating potential exploitation of this vulnerability
A system is affected if it runs LiferL DXP 7.3 without fix pack 1 (or any version below 7.3) and has the MFA module with TOTP enabled, allowing authenticated users to modify other users' TOTP settings.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data7.3
Apply Liferay DXP 7.3 fix pack 1 or later to patch the MFA module. Additionally, review user permissions and restrict access to TOTP management functions to prevent privilege abuse.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-29041 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-29041 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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