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Liferay PortalApplication · Liferay

CVE-2022-42118

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.4.2 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 · unedited
A Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Portal Search module in Liferay Portal 7.1.0 through 7.4.2, and Liferay DXP 7.1 before fix pack 27, 7.2 before fix pack 15, and 7.3 before service pack 3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the `tag` 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 confidence

Reflected XSS vulnerability in Liferay's Portal Search module where the `tag` parameter is not properly sanitized, allowing remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via crafted URLs. The vulnerability affects both Liferay Portal (7.1.0-7.4.2) and Liferay DXP (7.1 before fp27, 7.2 before fp15, 7.3 before sp3).

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied fix packs (fp27 for DXP 7.1, fp15 for DXP 7.2, sp3 for DXP 7.3, or appropriate patch for Portal versions) and implement output encoding for the tag parameter in the search module.

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
Liferay PortalApplication
Affected:>= 7.1.0, <= 7.4.2
Digital Experience PlatformApplication
Affected:= 7.1= 7.2
DxpApplication
Affected:= 7.3

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed Lifera Portal or DXP version
    Check the product version in the Liferay control panel (Control Panel > Configuration > System Information) or inspect the welcome page footer. Alternatively, check the WAR file or portal.properties for the 'liferaay.version' property.
    Affected if The version falls within 7.1.0 to 7.4.2 for Portal, or is DXP 7.1 before fp27, 7.2 before fp15, or 7.3 before sp3.
  2. Confirm the search module is accessible
    Verify that the Liferay search functionality is enabled and accessible. Typically found at endpoints like /c/portal/search or /search depending on configuration. Check if the search portlet or widget is deployed.
    Affected if The search module is active and accessible without authentication restrictions.
  3. Verify fix pack or patch application
    Check the installed fix packs by navigating to Control Panel > Configuration > System Information > Patch Info. Compare the installed fix pack level against the required fixes (fp27 for DXP 7.1, fp15 for DXP 7.2, sp3 for DXP 7.3).
    Affected if The installed fix pack level is below the required threshold for the respective version.

You are affected if your Liferay Portal version is between 7.1.0 and 7.4.2, or your DXP version is 7.1 before fp27, 7.2 before fp15, or 7.3 before sp3, and the search module is accessible without having applied the corresponding vendor fix pack.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.4.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied fix packs (fp27 for DXP 7.1, fp15 for DXP 7.2, sp3 for DXP 7.3, or appropriate patch for Portal versions) and implement output encoding for the tag parameter in the search module.

Recommended fix High confidence

Lifer Portal 7.4.3+ or appropriate DXP fix pack (FP27 for 7.1, FP15 for 7.2, SP3 for 7.3)

  1. 1. Identify your current Lifer Portal or DXP version using the Lifer Server Administration console or the control panel.
  2. 2. For Lifer Portal 7.1.0 - 7.4.x users: Upgrade to Lifer Portal 7.4.3 or later, as this version contains the fix for the XSS vulnerability in the Portal Search module.
  3. 3. For Lifer DXP 7.1 users: Apply fix pack 27 or later to address the vulnerability.
  4. 4. For Lifer DXP 7.2 users: Apply fix pack 15 or later to address the vulnerability.
  5. 5. For Lifer DXP 7.3 users: Apply service pack 3 or later to address the vulnerability.
  6. 6. After applying the fix, verify the patch was successfully installed by checking the Lifer Marketplace or Server Administration panel for the updated version number.
  7. 7. Test the Portal Search functionality with the tag parameter to confirm the XSS vulnerability is remediated.
Caveat Review Lifer's release notes for the target version to check for any breaking changes or deprecated features before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Liferay Portal Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-42118 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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