CVE-2021-33333: Release.portal.bom Liferay Portal And Liferay DXP Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g7xc-m762-wg8f
CVSS 6.3
CWE-276
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-33333 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.3) liferay portal and liferay dxp vulnerability (CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions) affecting Release.portal.bom libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves liferay portal and liferay dxp fails to check user permissions for workflow submissions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.0.10.fp93, 7.1.10.fp19, 7.2.10.fp6.

CVE-2021-33333 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-33333
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g7xc-m762-wg8f
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.3
CWE Classification CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions
Affected Product Release.portal.bom
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.3

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:L/I:L/A:L).

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 Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2021-33333

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: Latest secure release
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
    <artifactId>release.portal.bom</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom fixed: 7.0.10.fp93
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
    <artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
    <version>7.0.10.fp93</version>
</dependency>
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom fixed: 7.1.10.fp19
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
    <artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
    <version>7.1.10.fp19</version>
</dependency>
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom fixed: 7.2.10.fp6
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
    <artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
    <version>7.2.10.fp6</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-2021-33333, 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 7.0.10.fp93), 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-276: Incorrect Default Permissions, where during installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files. 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

The Portal Workflow module in Liferay Portal 7.3.2 and earlier, and Liferay DXP 7.0 before fix pack 93, 7.1 before fix pack 19 and 7.2 before fix pack 6, does not properly check user permission, which allows remote authenticated users to view and delete workflow submissions via crafted URLs.

CVE-2021-33333 Affected Release.portal.bom Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.0.10.fp937.1.10.fp197.2.10.fp6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom
Maven
≤ 7.3.2
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom
Maven
< 7.0.10.fp93
7.0.10.fp93
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom
Maven
≥ 7.1.0
< 7.1.10.fp19
7.1.10.fp19
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom
Maven
≥ 7.2.0
< 7.2.10.fp6
7.2.10.fp6

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-33333?
CVE-2021-33333 is a security vulnerability in Release.portal.bom involving Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP Fails to Check User Permissions for Workflow Submissions under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions.
Which Release.portal.bom versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.0.10.fp93, 7.1.10.fp19, 7.2.10.fp6 across affected packages: com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom, com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom.
What version fixes CVE-2021-33333?
Upgrading to 7.0.10.fp93, 7.1.10.fp19, 7.2.10.fp6 (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 Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
Is release.dxp.bom affected?
Yes, com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom is affected in releases prior to 7.0.10.fp93, 7.1.10.fp19, 7.2.10.fp6. Upgrade your dependency to 7.0.10.fp93, 7.1.10.fp19, 7.2.10.fp6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-33333?
CVE-2021-33333 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-33333?
CVE-2021-33333 is classified under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions (During installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-33333?
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-g7xc-m762-wg8f",
  "modified" : "2025-05-28T20:14:10Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T19:09:41Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-33333" ],
  "summary" : "Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP Fails to Check User Permissions for Workflow Submissions",
  "details" : "The Portal Workflow module in Liferay Portal 7.3.2 and earlier, and Liferay DXP 7.0 before fix pack 93, 7.1 before fix pack 19 and 7.2 before fix pack 6, does not properly check user permission, which allows remote authenticated users to view and delete workflow submissions via crafted URLs.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "7.3.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.0.10.fp93"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.1.10.fp19"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.2.10.fp6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33333"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/liferay/liferay-portal"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17032"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/id/120747742"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-276" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-05-28T20:14:10Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-08-03T21:15:00Z"
  }
}