Summary
Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP Stores User Passwords in Cleartext
The Portal Workflow module in Liferay Portal 7.3.2 and earlier, and Liferay DXP 7.0 before fix pack 93, 7.1 before fix pack 19, and 7.2 before fix pack 7, user's clear text passwords are stored in the database if workflow is enabled for user creation, which allows attackers with access to the database to obtain a user's password.
Impact
CVE-2021-33325 has a CVSS score of 4.9 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high 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 (7.0.10.fp93, 7.1.10.fp19, 7.2.10.fp7); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.0.10.fp93 or later; com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.1.10.fp19 or later; com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.2.10.fp7 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2021-33325? CVE-2021-33325 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom (maven), affecting versions >= 7.3.0, <= 7.3.2. It is fixed in 7.0.10.fp93, 7.1.10.fp19, 7.2.10.fp7.
- How severe is CVE-2021-33325? CVE-2021-33325 has a CVSS score of 4.9 (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.
- Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-33325?
com.liferay.portal:release.portal.bom(maven) (versions >= 7.3.0, <= 7.3.2)com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom(maven) (versions < 7.0.10.fp93)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2021-33325? Yes. CVE-2021-33325 is fixed in 7.0.10.fp93, 7.1.10.fp19, 7.2.10.fp7. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2021-33325 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-33325 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2021-33325 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2021-33325?
- Upgrade
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bomto 7.0.10.fp93 or later - Upgrade
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bomto 7.1.10.fp19 or later - Upgrade
com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bomto 7.2.10.fp7 or later
- Upgrade