CVE-2021-29041: Release.dxp.bom Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-82j7-2h3j-hc7f
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-29041 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Release.dxp.bom libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves liferay dxp vulnerable to denial-of-service (dos) in the multi-factor authentication module. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.3.10.fp1.

CVE-2021-29041 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-29041
GHSA Identifier GHSA-82j7-2h3j-hc7f
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Release.dxp.bom
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-29041

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Release.dxp.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.dxp.bom fixed: 7.3.10.fp1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
    <artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
    <version>7.3.10.fp1</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-2021-29041, 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.dxp.bom in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.3.10.fp1), 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. In Release.dxp.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

Denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability in the Multi-Factor Authentication module in Liferay DXP 7.3 before fix pack 1 allows remote authenticated attackers to prevent any user from authenticating by (1) enabling Time-based One-time password (TOTP) on behalf of the other user or (2) modifying the other user's TOTP shared secret.

CVE-2021-29041 Affected Release.dxp.bom Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.3.10.fp1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom
maven/com.liferay.portal/release.dxp.bom
Maven
< 7.3.10.fp1
7.3.10.fp1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-29041 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-29041
Release.dxp.bom Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/liferay/liferay-portal
issues.liferay.com/browse/lpe-17131 WEB
https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17131
liferay.com WEB
http://liferay.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-29041?
CVE-2021-29041 is a security vulnerability in Release.dxp.bom involving Liferay DXP Vulnerable to Denial-of-service (DoS) in the Multi-Factor Authentication Module under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Release.dxp.bom versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.3.10.fp1 across affected packages: com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom.
What version fixes CVE-2021-29041?
Upgrading to 7.3.10.fp1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is release.dxp.bom affected?
Yes, com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom is affected in releases prior to 7.3.10.fp1. Upgrade your dependency to 7.3.10.fp1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-29041?
CVE-2021-29041 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-29041?
CVE-2021-29041 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-29041?
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
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-82j7-2h3j-hc7f",
  "modified" : "2025-05-14T07:43:49Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T19:02:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-29041" ],
  "summary" : " Liferay DXP Vulnerable to Denial-of-service (DoS) in the Multi-Factor Authentication Module",
  "details" : "Denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability in the Multi-Factor Authentication module in Liferay DXP 7.3 before fix pack 1 allows remote authenticated attackers to prevent any user from authenticating by (1) enabling Time-based One-time password (TOTP) on behalf of the other user or (2) modifying the other user's TOTP shared secret.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.3.10.fp1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-29041"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/liferay/liferay-portal"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17131"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://liferay.com"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-05-14T07:43:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-05-16T16:15:00Z"
  }
}