The vulnerability CVE-2024-11993 is classified as a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Liferay Portal versions 7.4.0 through 7.4.3.38 and Liferay DXP 7.4 GA through update 38. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML via the Dispatch name field, which can lead to various malicious activities such as data theft or session hijacking.
With a CVSS score of 4.6, this vulnerability is categorized as medium severity. While it may not be as critical as high-severity vulnerabilities, organizations should still take this threat seriously due to the potential for exploitation. The exploitation status indicates that no public exploit is currently available, but the lack of known exploits does not mitigate the risk entirely.
Risk to organizations includes unauthorized access to sensitive information and potential manipulation of user sessions. Attackers may leverage this vulnerability to craft malicious payloads that can be executed within the context of a user's session, compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the platform.
Organizations should prioritize patching immediately to safeguard against this vulnerability. Given its nature, a proactive approach to security updates is critical to maintaining the integrity of deployed Liferay solutions.
Vulnerability Details
The official description of CVE-2024-11993 highlights a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Liferay Portal and Digital Experience Platform. The affected versions include Liferay Portal 7.4.0 through 7.4.3.38 and Liferay DXP 7.4 GA through update 38. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79.
The CVSS score of 4.6 indicates a medium severity level, with the following metrics: attack vector is network-based, attack complexity is low, and high privileges are required for exploitation. User interaction is necessary, and both confidentiality and integrity impacts are low.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of CVE-2024-11993 stems from insufficient input validation in the Dispatch name field, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that can be executed in the user's browser context. The attack vector is network-based, requiring the attacker to send a specially crafted request to the vulnerable application.
The attack complexity is low, meaning that it does not require special conditions to exploit. High privileges are needed to perform the attack, and user interaction is also necessary for successful exploitation. The confidentiality impact is low as the attacker may not gain access to sensitive data directly, but they can manipulate the web application's behavior.
In terms of integrity impact, the attacker may alter the visual presentation of the application, which can mislead users. The availability impact is non-existent for this vulnerability.
Risk & Impact Analysis
Organizations using affected versions of Liferay should be aware of the real-world deployment risks associated with CVE-2024-11993. The potential for attackers to exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary scripts poses significant threats to user data and application integrity. This vulnerability could be particularly damaging if exploited in a high-profile scenario, such as during a public-facing application interaction.
The urgency for organizations to address this vulnerability is categorized as medium. While it is not an immediate crisis, organizations should include it in their priority patch cycle to ensure their systems remain secure against evolving threats.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
The vulnerability affects the following versions:
Liferay Portal versions 7.4.0 through 7.4.3.38 and Liferay DXP 7.4 GA through update 38. If specific version information is missing, we refer to it as 'All versions prior to vendor patch'.
Mitigation & Remediation
Organizations should ensure that they apply the latest patches and updates as released by Liferay. The recommended action is to upgrade to the latest version of Liferay Portal and DXP that addresses this vulnerability.
In the absence of immediate patch availability, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls (WAF) to filter out malicious input and utilize input validation mechanisms to sanitize user inputs.
For more information on security best practices, organizations can refer to guidelines on application security assessments.
Detection Guidance
To detect potential exploitation attempts, organizations should monitor web server logs for unusual request patterns, especially those containing script tags or other HTML elements in the Dispatch name field.
Behavioral anomalies in user sessions, such as unauthorized changes or unexpected redirects, should also be investigated.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The long-term significance of CVE-2024-11993 reflects the ongoing challenges organizations face with web application security. As web applications continue to evolve, the importance of proactive security measures cannot be overstated.
Security teams should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader trend in cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing and regular updates.
Strategically, organizations should integrate security practices into the development lifecycle to mitigate similar vulnerabilities in the future. For comprehensive security strategies, organizations are encouraged to explore insights on penetration testing and other security assessments.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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