Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-29040 is an information-disclosure issue in Liferay JSON web services. A remote attacker can trigger overly detailed error messages and use that information to plan more targeted attacks. The sources do not indicate direct code execution or confirmed active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a near-term hygiene fix for exposed Liferay systems. It is not documented as actively exploited, but it can give attackers useful reconnaissance data and should be addressed during regular patch cycles.
Technical view
Affected versions include Liferay Portal 7.3.4 and earlier, and Liferay DXP 7.0 before fix pack 97, 7.1 before fix pack 20, and 7.2 before fix pack 10. Crafted inputs to JSON web services may expose verbose error details useful for attack refinement.
Likely exposure
Organizations running affected Liferay Portal or DXP versions with JSON web services reachable by users or the internet are the primary exposure group. Risk increases where error responses are externally visible.
Exploitation context
The CVE states remote attackers may use crafted inputs to obtain helpful error-message contents. CISA KEV is not indicated, and the provided sources do not confirm active exploitation or public exploit availability.
Researcher notes
The public record lacks CVSS, CWE, and detailed root-cause data. Analysis should focus on affected-version confirmation, exposure of JSON web services, and whether error output reveals implementation details useful for chaining with other vulnerabilities.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Liferay Portal beyond 7.3.4 or follow Liferay guidance.
- Apply Liferay DXP 7.0 fix pack 97 or later.
- Apply Liferay DXP 7.1 fix pack 20 or later.
- Apply Liferay DXP 7.2 fix pack 10 or later.
- Restrict external access to JSON web services where business requirements allow.
- Review vendor guidance for any version-specific hardening instructions.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Liferay Portal and DXP versions in production and exposed environments.
- Confirm whether JSON web services are reachable from untrusted networks.
- Verify installed fix pack levels against the affected version ranges.
- Review application responses for verbose error details in safe testing.
- Check logs for unusual malformed requests to JSON web services.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CVE-2021-29040 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
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Vulnerability timeline
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- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
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- CVE updatedCVE Program
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ADP provider summaries
Source materials
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.