CVE-2017-12649: Liferay Portal Vulnerable to XSS via Mishandled Title or Summary in Web Content Display
Summary
CVE-2017-12649: Liferay Portal Vulnerable to XSS via Mishandled Title or Summary in the Web Content Display. Affects com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom versions < 7.0.3-ga4. Fixed in 7.0.3-ga4. How to fix ↓
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Background
Liferay Portal is an open-source enterprise portal framework that allows organizations to build and manage web applications and content. It provides a robust platform for creating dynamic websites, intranets, and extranets, featuring tools for content management, collaboration, and user engagement. However, prior to version 7.0 CE GA4, Liferay Portal is susceptible to a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability, which can be exploited through improperly handled user inputs in the Web Content Display component.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises from the mishandling of crafted titles or summaries in the Web Content Display feature of Liferay Portal. Attackers can exploit this flaw to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by users, potentially leading to unauthorized actions, data theft, or session hijacking. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, indicating its nature as a cross-site scripting issue. The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 6.1, reflecting its moderate severity.
How To Fix
Latest published version: 7.4.3.132 as of 22 Oct 2026
Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the version below is the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you need the minimum change
7.0.3-ga4
This is the first release that contains the fix.
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Workaround
If immediate upgrading is not feasible, consider implementing input validation and sanitization on user inputs for titles and summaries in the Web Content Display to mitigate the risk of XSS attacks. Ensure that any user-generated content is properly escaped before rendering it on the web page.
Conclusion
In summary, CVE-2017-12649 is a moderate severity XSS vulnerability in Liferay Portal that can be exploited through crafted titles or summaries. It is crucial to update to version 7.0.3-ga4 or later to mitigate this risk. For those unable to upgrade immediately, implementing input validation is recommended.
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FAQ
CVE-2017-12649 is a vulnerability in Liferay Portal that allows for cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks through mishandled titles or summaries in the Web Content Display.
Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized script execution in users' browsers, potentially resulting in data theft, session hijacking, or other malicious actions.
Liferay Portal versions prior to 7.0 CE GA4 are vulnerable to this XSS issue.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software. By simply uploading your pom.xml file on the Vulert playground, you can check for vulnerabilities without any signup.
If an immediate upgrade is not possible, implement input validation and sanitization for user inputs in the Web Content Display to reduce the risk of XSS attacks.
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