CVE-2021-33335: Release.portal.bom Liferay Portal And Liferay DXP Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2021-33335 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.2) liferay portal and liferay dxp vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Release.portal.bom libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves liferay portal and liferay dxp has company administrator accounts vulnerable to takeovers. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.3.5, 7.1.10.fp20, 7.2.10.fp9.
CVE-2021-33335 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 7.2
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2021-33335
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Release.portal.bom dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
<dependency>
<groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
<artifactId>release.portal.bom</artifactId>
<version>7.3.5</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
<artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
<version>7.1.10.fp20</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
<artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
<version>7.2.10.fp9</version>
</dependency>Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferay.portalHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-33335, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferay.portalAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Release.portal.bom in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.3.5), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferay.portal command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.
Technical Details
Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In Release.portal.bom, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.
Source Advisory Statement
CVE-2021-33335 Affected Release.portal.bom Versions
3 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom
|
Maven |
≥ 7.0.3
< 7.3.5
|
7.3.5
|
|
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom
|
Maven |
≥ 7.1.0
< 7.1.10.fp20
|
7.1.10.fp20
|
|
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom
|
Maven |
≥ 7.2.0
< 7.2.10.fp9
|
7.2.10.fp9
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-33335?
Which Release.portal.bom versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-33335?
Is release.portal.bom affected?
Is release.dxp.bom affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-33335?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-33335?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-33335?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-5gh9-g62h-f35m",
"modified" : "2025-05-28T20:14:34Z",
"published" : "2022-05-24T19:10:03Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-33335" ],
"summary" : "Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP Has Company Administrator Accounts Vulnerable to Takeovers",
"details" : "Privilege escalation vulnerability in Liferay Portal 7.0.3 through 7.3.4, and Liferay DXP 7.1 before fix pack 20, and 7.2 before fix pack 9 allows remote authenticated users with permission to update/edit users to take over a company administrator user account by editing the company administrator user.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "7.0.3"
}, {
"fixed" : "7.3.5"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 7.3.4"
}
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "7.1.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "7.1.10.fp20"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "7.2.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "7.2.10.fp9"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33335"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/liferay/liferay-portal"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17103"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20220828222916/https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/id/120747906"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269", "CWE-863" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2025-05-28T20:14:34Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-08-03T22:15:00Z"
}
}