CVE-2021-33330: Release.portal.bom Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6xxc-4jc4-7jv3
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CVSS 4.3
CWE-668
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-33330 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere) affecting Release.portal.bom libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves exposure of resource to wrong sphere in liferay portal. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.3.3.

CVE-2021-33330 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-33330
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6xxc-4jc4-7jv3
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere
Affected Product Release.portal.bom
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.3

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:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-33330

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: 7.3.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
    <artifactId>release.portal.bom</artifactId>
    <version>7.3.3</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-2021-33330, 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 7.3.3), 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-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere, where the product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource. 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 7.2.0 through 7.3.2, and Liferay DXP 7.2 before fix pack 9, allows access to Cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) protected resources if the user is only authenticated using the portal session authentication, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information including the targeted user’s email address and current CSRF token.

CVE-2021-33330 Affected Release.portal.bom Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.3.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom
maven/com.liferay.portal/release.portal.bom
Maven
≥ 7.2.0
< 7.3.3
7.3.3

References

NVD — CVE-2021-33330 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33330
issues.liferay.com/browse/lpe-17127 WEB
https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17127
Release.portal.bom Security Information SECURITY
https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/id/120747720

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-33330?
CVE-2021-33330 is a security vulnerability in Release.portal.bom involving Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere in Liferay Portal under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere.
Which Release.portal.bom versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.3.3 across affected packages: com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom.
What version fixes CVE-2021-33330?
Upgrading to 7.3.3 (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 7.3.3. Upgrade your dependency to 7.3.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-33330?
CVE-2021-33330 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-33330?
CVE-2021-33330 is classified under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere (The product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-33330?
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-6xxc-4jc4-7jv3",
  "modified" : "2025-05-14T19:17:39Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T22:28:20Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-33330" ],
  "summary" : "Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere in Liferay Portal",
  "details" : "Liferay Portal 7.2.0 through 7.3.2, and Liferay DXP 7.2 before fix pack 9, allows access to Cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) protected resources if the user is only authenticated using the portal session authentication, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information including the targeted user’s email address and current CSRF token.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.3.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33330"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17127"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/id/120747720"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-668" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-09T13:17:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-08-03T19:15:00Z"
  }
}