What is CVE-2021-38268?

CVE-2021-38268 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in com.liferay:com.liferay.dynamic.data.mapping.service (maven), affecting versions < 6.0.0. It is fixed in 6.0.0, 7.0.10.fp101, 7.1.10.fp21, 7.2.10.fp10, 7.3.10.fp2.

How severe is CVE-2021-38268?

CVE-2021-38268 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (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-2021-38268?

com.liferay:com.liferay.dynamic.data.mapping.service (maven) versions = 7.0.0, < 7.0.10.fp101.

Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38268?

Yes. CVE-2021-38268 is fixed in 6.0.0, 7.0.10.fp101, 7.1.10.fp21, 7.2.10.fp10, 7.3.10.fp2. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2021-38268 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-38268 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-2021-38268 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-2021-38268

Q: How severe is CVE-2021-38268?

CVE-2021-38268 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (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.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38268?

Yes. CVE-2021-38268 is fixed in 6.0.0, 7.0.10.fp101, 7.1.10.fp21, 7.2.10.fp10, 7.3.10.fp2. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2021-38268 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-38268 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-2021-38268 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-2021-38268?

Upgrade: com.liferay:com.liferay.dynamic.data.mapping.service to 6.0.0 or later, com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.0.10.fp101 or later, com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.1.10.fp21 or later, com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.2.10.fp10 or later, com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.3.10.fp2 or later.

Summary

Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP has incorrect default permissions for site members

The Dynamic Data Mapping module before 4.0.39 from Liferay Portal 7.0.0 through 7.3.6, and Liferay DXP 7.0 before fix pack 101, 7.1 before fix pack 21, 7.2 before fix pack 10 and 7.3 before fix pack 2 incorrectly sets default permissions for site members, which allows remote authenticated users with the site member role to add and duplicate forms, via the UI or the API.

Impact

CVE-2021-38268 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (6.0.0, 7.0.10.fp101, 7.1.10.fp21, 7.2.10.fp10, 7.3.10.fp2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

com.liferay:com.liferay.dynamic.data.mapping.service (< 6.0.0) com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom (>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.10.fp101) com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom (>= 7.1.0, < 7.1.10.fp21) com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom (>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.10.fp10) com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom (>= 7.3.0, < 7.3.10.fp2)

Security releases

com.liferay:com.liferay.dynamic.data.mapping.service → 6.0.0 (maven) com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom → 7.0.10.fp101 (maven) com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom → 7.1.10.fp21 (maven) com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom → 7.2.10.fp10 (maven) com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom → 7.3.10.fp2 (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.

Already deployed Kodem?

See it in your environment New to Kodem? Get a demo →

Remediation advice

Upgrade the following packages to resolve this vulnerability:

com.liferay:com.liferay.dynamic.data.mapping.service to 6.0.0 or later; com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.0.10.fp101 or later; com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.1.10.fp21 or later; com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.2.10.fp10 or later; com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.3.10.fp2 or later

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-38268? CVE-2021-38268 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in com.liferay:com.liferay.dynamic.data.mapping.service (maven), affecting versions < 6.0.0. It is fixed in 6.0.0, 7.0.10.fp101, 7.1.10.fp21, 7.2.10.fp10, 7.3.10.fp2.
How severe is CVE-2021-38268? CVE-2021-38268 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (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-2021-38268?
- com.liferay:com.liferay.dynamic.data.mapping.service (maven) (versions < 6.0.0)
- com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom (maven) (versions >= 7.0.0, < 7.0.10.fp101)
Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38268? Yes. CVE-2021-38268 is fixed in 6.0.0, 7.0.10.fp101, 7.1.10.fp21, 7.2.10.fp10, 7.3.10.fp2. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2021-38268 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-38268 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-2021-38268 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-2021-38268?
- Upgrade com.liferay:com.liferay.dynamic.data.mapping.service to 6.0.0 or later
- Upgrade com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.0.10.fp101 or later
- Upgrade com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.1.10.fp21 or later
- Upgrade com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.2.10.fp10 or later
- Upgrade com.liferay.portal:release.dxp.bom to 7.3.10.fp2 or later