How severe is CVE-2021-38266?

CVE-2021-38266 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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-2021-38266?

com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl (maven) versions < 2.0.19; com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom (maven) versions < 7.3.0-ga1.

Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38266?

Yes. CVE-2021-38266 is fixed in 2.0.19, 7.3.0-ga1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2021-38266 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-38266 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2021-38266 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.

CVE-2021-38266

Q: What is CVE-2021-38266?

CVE-2021-38266 is a high-severity security vulnerability in com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl (maven), affecting versions < 2.0.19. It is fixed in 2.0.19, 7.3.0-ga1.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38266?

Yes. CVE-2021-38266 is fixed in 2.0.19, 7.3.0-ga1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2021-38266 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-38266 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2021-38266 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2021-38266?

Upgrade: com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl to 2.0.19 or later, com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.3.0-ga1 or later.

Summary

Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP fails to properly import users from LDAP

Security LDAP Implementation before 2.0.16 from Liferay Portal through v7.2.1 and Liferay DXP through v7.2 does not correctly import users from LDAP, allowing remote attackers to prevent a legitimate user from authenticating by attempting to sign in as a user that exists in LDAP.

Impact

CVE-2021-38266 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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 (2.0.19, 7.3.0-ga1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl (< 2.0.19) com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom (< 7.3.0-ga1)

Security releases

com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl → 2.0.19 (maven) com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom → 7.3.0-ga1 (maven)

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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Remediation advice

Upgrade the following packages to resolve this vulnerability:

com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl to 2.0.19 or later; com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.3.0-ga1 or later

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-38266? CVE-2021-38266 is a high-severity security vulnerability in com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl (maven), affecting versions < 2.0.19. It is fixed in 2.0.19, 7.3.0-ga1.
How severe is CVE-2021-38266? CVE-2021-38266 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). 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-2021-38266?
- com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl (maven) (versions < 2.0.19)
- com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom (maven) (versions < 7.3.0-ga1)
Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38266? Yes. CVE-2021-38266 is fixed in 2.0.19, 7.3.0-ga1. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2021-38266 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-38266 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-2021-38266 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-2021-38266?
- Upgrade com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl to 2.0.19 or later
- Upgrade com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.3.0-ga1 or later

Other vulnerabilities in com.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl

CVE-IDSeverityPackage summary

CVE-2025-62262Mediumcom.liferay:com.liferay.portal.security.ldap.impl: Liferay Portal Vulnerable to Information Exposure Through a Log File Vulnerability in LDAP Import Feature