CVE-2022-28981: Com.liferay.headless.discovery.web Path Traversal Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2022-28981 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Com.liferay.headless.discovery.web libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves liferay portal path traversal vulnerability via the hypermedia rest apis module. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.0.12.
CVE-2022-28981 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 7.5
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2022-28981
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Com.liferay.headless.discovery.web 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</groupId>
<artifactId>com.liferay.headless.discovery.web</artifactId>
<version>4.0.12</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.liferayHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2022-28981, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferayAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Com.liferay.headless.discovery.web in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.0.12), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferay 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Com.liferay.headless.discovery.web, 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-2022-28981 Affected Com.liferay.headless.discovery.web Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
com.liferay:com.liferay.headless.discovery.web
|
Maven |
< 4.0.12
|
4.0.12
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2022-28981?
Which Com.liferay.headless.discovery.web versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2022-28981?
Is com.liferay.headless.discovery.web affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-28981?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-28981?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2022-28981?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-5j86-vmpx-42pc",
"modified" : "2025-07-16T15:03:21Z",
"published" : "2022-09-23T00:00:46Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-28981" ],
"summary" : "Liferay Portal Path Traversal Vulnerability via the Hypermedia REST APIs Module",
"details" : "Path traversal vulnerability in the Hypermedia REST APIs module before 4.0.12 from Liferay Portal (7.4.0 through 7.4.2) allows remote attackers to access files outside of com.liferay.headless.discovery.web/META-INF/resources via the `parameter` parameter.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.liferay:com.liferay.headless.discovery.web"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "4.0.12"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-28981"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/liferay/liferay-portal"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://liferay.dev/portal/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/jekt/content/cve-2022-28981-path-traversal-vulnerability-in-hypermedia-rest-apis?p_r_p_assetEntryId=121612450&_com_liferay_asset_publisher_web_portlet_AssetPublisherPortlet_INSTANCE_jekt_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fliferay.dev%3A443%2Fportal%2Fsecurity%2Fknown-vulnerabilities%3Fp_p_id%3Dcom_liferay_asset_publisher_web_portlet_AssetPublisherPortlet_INSTANCE_jekt%26p_p_lifecycle%3D0%26p_p_state%3Dnormal%26p_p_mode%3Dview%26p_r_p_assetEntryId%3D121612450%26_com_liferay_asset_publisher_web_portlet_AssetPublisherPortlet_INSTANCE_jekt_cur%3D0%26p_r_p_resetCur%3Dfalse"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20220929232244/https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/cve-2022-28981-path-traversal-vulnerability-in-hypermedia-rest-apis"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "http://liferay.com"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2025-07-16T15:03:20Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2022-09-22T01:15:00Z"
}
}