CVE-2021-33337
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 · uneditedCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Document Library module's add document menu in Liferay Portal 7.3.0 through 7.3.4, and Liferay DXP 7.1 before fix pack 20, and 7.2 before fix pack 9, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the _com_liferay_document_library_web_portlet_DLAdminPortlet_name parameter.
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 confidenceStored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Liferays Document Library module allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the name parameter (_com_lirebase_document_library_web_portlet_DLAdminPortlet_name) when adding documents. The vulnerability affects Liferays Portal 7.3.0-7.3.4 and DXP 7.1 and 7.2 versions prior to respective fix packs.
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= 7.1= 7.2>= 7.3.0, <= 7.3.4CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
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.
-
Identify Liferay versionAccess the Liferay Control Panel or check the portal-ext.properties file for the version property, or view the build information in the Liferay server banner at startupAffected if The installed version is 7.3.0 through 7.3.4 for Liferay Portal, or 7.1 or 7.2 for DXP prior to the respective fix packs (FP20 for 7.1, FP9 for 7.2)
-
Confirm Document Library module is activeNavigate to the Liferay Control Panel, go to Content > Document Library, or check the OSGi console for the com_liferay_document_library_web module being activeAffected if Document Library is deployed and accessible to users who can upload documents
-
Verify user permissions for Document Library uploadsCheck Liferay roles and permissions to determine if standard users or guest users have the ability to add documents to any Document Library folderAffected if Authenticated or unauthenticated users have permission to upload documents to any folder
-
Inspect Document Library name entriesQuery the DLFileEntry table in the Liferay database, or use the Document Library UI to view uploaded document names for any suspicious script tags or HTML markup in the name fieldAffected if Any documents exist with malicious script or HTML content in the name field (_com_liferay_document_library_web_portlet_DLAdminPortlet_name parameter)
A user is affected if they are running Liferay Portal 7.3.0-7.3.4 or DXP 7.1/7.2 prior to the fix packs, and the Document Library module is accessible to users who can upload documents with arbitrary names.
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 dataUpgrade Liferays Portal to 7.3.5 or later, or apply the appropriate fix packs (FP20 for DXP 7.1, FP9 for DXP 7.2). Additionally, implement output encoding and input validation for the Document Library name parameter as a defense-in-depth measure.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-33337 — 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-2021-33337 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data