Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-42121 lets a logged-in remote user abuse Liferay’s Layout module to run database commands through a page template name. For organizations running affected Liferay Portal or DXP versions, this can threaten sensitive data, site integrity, and availability.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for production and internet-accessible Liferay sites. The issue can affect the database directly, but exploitation requires authentication, so urgency depends on who has template-editing access and whether the portal is externally reachable.
Technical view
The flaw is SQL injection (CWE-89) in the Layout module. A crafted payload in a page template’s Name field can allow arbitrary SQL execution. CVSS 3.1 is 8.8: network exploitable, low privileges required, no user interaction, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely where Liferay Portal 7.1.3 through 7.4.3.4 or the listed affected Liferay DXP versions are deployed and authenticated users can create or edit page templates.
Exploitation context
The CVE indicates remote authenticated exploitation with low privileges. The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Treat internet-facing portals and broad internal author access as higher priority.
Researcher notes
Key validation hinges on version and privilege exposure. The public record names the injection point but does not provide exploit status. Avoid assuming unauthenticated exposure; the CVSS vector and description specify low privileges are required.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Liferay Portal beyond affected 7.1.3 through 7.4.3.4 versions where applicable.
- Apply Liferay DXP 7.1 fix pack 27 or later.
- Apply Liferay DXP 7.2 fix pack 17 or later.
- Apply Liferay DXP 7.3 service pack 3 or later.
- For Liferay DXP 7.4, check Liferay advisory guidance for the fixed release path.
- Restrict page template creation and editing to trusted administrators until remediated.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all Liferay Portal and DXP instances and record exact versions.
- Confirm installed DXP fix pack or service pack level against the affected ranges.
- Review roles allowed to create or edit page templates.
- Check logs for suspicious page template name changes or SQL error patterns.
- Verify remediation by confirming the deployed version is outside the affected range.
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
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-89: Database access and collection lookup
Injection into data stores can inform collection, data access, and exfiltration detection reviews. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupDatabase behavior lookup
The CVE wording references database injection or access, so collection and exfiltration review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-42121 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/cve-2022-42121CVE reference, mitre
- https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17414CVE reference, mitre
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.