CVE-2020-15841: Release.portal.bom Liferay Portal And Liferay DXP Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-773f-f929-qgjj
CVSS 8.3
CWE-522
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-15841 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.3) liferay portal and liferay dxp vulnerability (CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials) affecting Release.portal.bom libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves liferay portal and liferay dxp potentially reveal ldap server password via unsafe connection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.3.0, 7.0.10.fp89, 7.1.10.fp17, 7.2.10.fp4.

CVE-2020-15841 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-15841
GHSA Identifier GHSA-773f-f929-qgjj
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.3
CWE Classification CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials
Affected Product Release.portal.bom
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2020-15841

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.

com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom fixed: 7.3.0
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
    <artifactId>release.portal.bom</artifactId>
    <version>7.3.0</version>
</dependency>
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom fixed: 7.0.10.fp89
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
    <artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
    <version>7.0.10.fp89</version>
</dependency>
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom fixed: 7.1.10.fp17
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
    <artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
    <version>7.1.10.fp17</version>
</dependency>
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom fixed: 7.2.10.fp4
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
    <artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
    <version>7.2.10.fp4</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferay.portal

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-15841, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferay.portal

Analyze 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 7.3.0), 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-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials, where the product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval. 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

Liferay Portal before 7.3.0, and Liferay DXP 7.0 before fix pack 89, 7.1 before fix pack 17, and 7.2 before fix pack 4, does not safely test a connection to a LDAP server, which allows remote attackers to obtain the LDAP server's password via the Test LDAP Connection feature.

CVE-2020-15841 Affected Release.portal.bom Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.3.07.0.10.fp897.1.10.fp177.2.10.fp4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom
Maven
< 7.3.0
7.3.0
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom
Maven
≥ 7.0.0
< 7.0.10.fp89
7.0.10.fp89
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom
Maven
≥ 7.1.0
< 7.1.10.fp17
7.1.10.fp17
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom
Maven
≥ 7.2.0
< 7.2.10.fp4
7.2.10.fp4

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-15841?
CVE-2020-15841 is a security vulnerability in Release.portal.bom involving Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP Potentially Reveal LDAP Server Password via Unsafe Connection under CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials.
Which Release.portal.bom versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.3.0, 7.0.10.fp89, 7.1.10.fp17, 7.2.10.fp4 across affected packages: com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom, com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom.
What version fixes CVE-2020-15841?
Upgrading to 7.3.0, 7.0.10.fp89, 7.1.10.fp17, 7.2.10.fp4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is release.portal.bom affected?
Yes, com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom is affected in releases prior to 7.3.0. Upgrade your dependency to 7.3.0 or later.
Is release.dxp.bom affected?
Yes, com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom is affected in releases prior to 7.0.10.fp89, 7.1.10.fp17, 7.2.10.fp4. Upgrade your dependency to 7.0.10.fp89, 7.1.10.fp17, 7.2.10.fp4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-15841?
CVE-2020-15841 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-15841?
CVE-2020-15841 is classified under CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials (The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-15841?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferay.portal'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-773f-f929-qgjj",
  "modified" : "2025-05-28T19:58:56Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:23:58Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-15841" ],
  "summary" : "Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP Potentially Reveal LDAP Server Password via Unsafe Connection",
  "details" : "Liferay Portal before 7.3.0, and Liferay DXP 7.0 before fix pack 89, 7.1 before fix pack 17, and 7.2 before fix pack 4, does not safely test a connection to a LDAP server, which allows remote attackers to obtain the LDAP server's password via the Test LDAP Connection feature.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.3.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.0.10.fp89"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.1.10.fp17"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.2.10.fp4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15841"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/liferay/liferay-portal"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-16928"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/id/119317439"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-522" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-05-28T19:58:56Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-07-20T02:15:00Z"
  }
}