CVE-2021-29040

Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP Reveals Data via Overly Verbose Error Messages

The JSON web services in 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 may provide overly verbose error messages, which allows remote attackers to use the contents of error messages to help launch another, more focused attacks via crafted inputs.

CVE-2021-29040 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (7.3.5, 7.0.10.fp97, 7.1.10.fp20, 7.2.10.fp10); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

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1. What is CVE-2021-29040? CVE-2021-29040 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom (maven), affecting versions < 7.3.5. It is fixed in 7.3.5, 7.0.10.fp97, 7.1.10.fp20, 7.2.10.fp10.
2. How severe is CVE-2021-29040? CVE-2021-29040 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-29040?
   • com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom (maven) (versions < 7.3.5)
   • com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom (maven) (versions < 7.0.10.fp97)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2021-29040? Yes. CVE-2021-29040 is fixed in 7.3.5, 7.0.10.fp97, 7.1.10.fp20, 7.2.10.fp10. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2021-29040 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-29040 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2021-29040 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2021-29040?
   • Upgrade com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom to 7.3.5 or later
   • Upgrade com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.0.10.fp97 or later
   • Upgrade com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.1.10.fp20 or later
   • Upgrade com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.2.10.fp10 or later

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