CVE-2021-33338: Release.portal.bom Liferay Portal Layout Module And Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2021-33338 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) liferay portal layout module and vulnerability (CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)) affecting Release.portal.bom libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves liferay portal layout module and liferay dxp exposes the cross-site request forgery (csrf) token in urls. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.3.3, 7.1.10.fp19, 7.2.10.fp6.
CVE-2021-33338 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:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2021-33338
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.
<dependency>
<groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
<artifactId>release.portal.bom</artifactId>
<version>7.3.3</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
<artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
<version>7.1.10.fp19</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
<artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
<version>7.2.10.fp6</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.liferay.portalHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-33338, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferay.portalAnalyze 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-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), where the web application does not, or cannot, sufficiently verify whether a request was intentionally provided by the user who sent the request, which could have originated from an unauthorized actor. 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
CVE-2021-33338 Affected Release.portal.bom Versions
3 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom
|
Maven |
≥ 7.1.0
< 7.3.3
|
7.3.3
|
|
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-2021-33338?
Which Release.portal.bom versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-33338?
Is release.portal.bom affected?
Is release.dxp.bom affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-33338?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-33338?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-33338?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-4frg-rpx6-96qh",
"modified" : "2025-05-28T20:14:51Z",
"published" : "2022-05-24T19:10:01Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-33338" ],
"summary" : "Liferay Portal Layout Module and Liferay DXP Exposes the Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Token in URLs",
"details" : "The Layout module in Liferay Portal 7.1.0 through 7.3.2, and Liferay DXP 7.1 before fix pack 19, and 7.2 before fix pack 6, exposes the CSRF token in URLs, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to obtain the token and conduct Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks via the p_auth parameter.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "7.1.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "7.3.3"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 7.3.2"
}
}, {
"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-2021-33338"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/liferay/liferay-portal"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17030"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/id/120748276"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-352" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2025-05-28T20:14:51Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-08-04T14:15:00Z"
}
}