CVE-2021-38266: Com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl Liferay Portal And Liferay DXP Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2021-38266 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) liferay portal and liferay dxp vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves liferay portal and liferay dxp fails to properly import users from ldap. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.0.19, 7.3.0-ga1.
CVE-2021-38266 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:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2021-38266
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl 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</groupId>
<artifactId>com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl</artifactId>
<version>2.0.19</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>com.liferay.portal</groupId>
<artifactId>release.dxp.bom</artifactId>
<version>7.3.0-ga1</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.liferayHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-38266, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferayAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.0.19), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.liferay 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 General Security Weakness. In Com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl, 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-2021-38266 Affected Com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl Versions
2 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl
|
Maven |
< 2.0.19
|
2.0.19
|
|
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom
|
Maven |
< 7.3.0-ga1
|
7.3.0-ga1
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-38266?
Which Com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-38266?
Is com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl affected?
Is release.dxp.bom affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-38266?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-38266?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-38266?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-jp3m-vh3g-6ggp",
"modified" : "2025-07-14T20:52:18Z",
"published" : "2022-03-04T00:00:22Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-38266" ],
"summary" : "Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP fails to properly import users from LDAP",
"details" : "Security LDAP Implementation before 2.0.16 from Liferay Portal through v7.2.1 and Liferay DXP through v7.2 does not correctly import users from LDAP, allowing remote attackers to prevent a legitimate user from authenticating by attempting to sign in as a user that exists in LDAP.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.0.19"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "7.3.0-ga1"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-38266"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/liferay/liferay-portal/commit/c3d1e3c7b18be0791360bb57428ea8234bcbb736"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/liferay/liferay-portal"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17191"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://liferay.dev/portal/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/jekt/content/cve-2021-38266?p_r_p_assetEntryId=121611673&_com_liferay_asset_publisher_web_portlet_AssetPublisherPortlet_INSTANCE_jekt_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fliferay.dev%3A443%2Fportal%2Fsecurity%2Fknown-vulnerabilities%3Fp_p_id%3Dcom_liferay_asset_publisher_web_portlet_AssetPublisherPortlet_INSTANCE_jekt%26p_p_lifecycle%3D0%26p_p_state%3Dnormal%26p_p_mode%3Dview%26p_r_p_assetEntryId%3D121611673%26_com_liferay_asset_publisher_web_portlet_AssetPublisherPortlet_INSTANCE_jekt_cur%3D0%26p_r_p_resetCur%3Dfalse"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2025-07-14T20:52:18Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2022-03-02T23:15:00Z"
}
}