Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-42123 lets an attacker create or overwrite files on affected Liferay systems through a malicious Elasticsearch Sidecar plugin. This is a high-severity integrity issue because file overwrites can disrupt operations or alter application behavior.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority patch and configuration review for affected Liferay environments. The main business risk is unauthorized file modification on application hosts, which can undermine service integrity.
Technical view
The issue is a Zip Slip path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) in the Elasticsearch Connector. A malicious Elasticsearch Sidecar plugin can write files outside the intended extraction path. Affected versions include Liferay Portal 7.3.3 through 7.4.3.18, Liferay DXP 7.3 before update 6, and DXP 7.4 before update 19.
Likely exposure
Organizations running the listed Liferay Portal or DXP versions with Elasticsearch Sidecar plugin installation capability are potentially exposed. The CVSS vector is network-accessible with low complexity and no privileges or user interaction, but the source description ties exploitation to malicious plugin installation.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV in the supplied data. Risk is highest where untrusted plugin packages can reach the Elasticsearch Sidecar installation workflow.
Researcher notes
The public description identifies the vulnerable component and affected version ranges, but does not provide detailed exploit mechanics or indicators. Avoid assuming broader Liferay components are affected beyond the Elasticsearch Connector and Sidecar plugin path described.
Mitigation direction
- Identify affected Liferay Portal and DXP versions.
- Prioritize upgrade paths beyond the affected version ranges.
- Consult the Liferay advisory for exact fixed versions and deployment guidance.
- Restrict who can install or supply Elasticsearch Sidecar plugins.
- Review plugin provenance and remove untrusted packages.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Liferay Portal and DXP versions in production and staging.
- Check whether Elasticsearch Sidecar is enabled or used.
- Review records of recently installed Elasticsearch Sidecar plugins.
- Verify only trusted administrators can manage plugin installation.
- Confirm remediation against the Liferay advisory.
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-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. 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 lookupCVE-2022-42123 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
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N3.93.6CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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-2022-42123CVE reference, mitre
- https://issues.liferay.com/browse/LPE-17518CVE 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.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.