CVE-2020-7961 kev in the critical feed json
Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Liferay Portal
published 2020-03-20 6 y ago modified 2026-06-17 4 mo ago also GHSA-w7pm-cc4v-f3g8 , EUVD-2022-5527
- cvss
- 9.8
- version 3.1, CNA
- cisa kev
- Exploited
- added 2021-11-03
- epss
- 99.9%
- EPSS 99.9% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 99.9%
- public exploits
- 2
- Metasploit, Exploit-DB, plus a Nuclei check
Summary
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).
Patch / fix
cisa required action Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- maven com.liferay.portal:com.liferay.portal.kernel 4.35.3
- liferay liferay_portal 7.2.1
Timeline
- First public exploit (Metasploit exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling)
- Published
- Added to CISA KEV
- CISA patch deadline
- CISA SSVC: exploitation active
Known exploited
- Added
- 5 y ago
- Patch by
- 2022-05-03 (4 y ago)
- Ransomware
- Not known
- Required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Vendor, product
- Liferay, Liferay Portal
- CISA name
- Liferay Portal Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability
CISA SSVC
- Exploitation
- Active, exploited in the wild
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
- Assessed
- 21 mo ago
Exploit prediction
99.91% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99.9% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
Exploits and checks
- Metasploit exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling Liferay Portal Java Unmarshalling via JSONWS RCE metasploit exploit, excellent rank, 2019-11-25
- EDB-48332 Liferay Portal - Java Unmarshalling via JSONWS RCE (Metasploit) remote, 2020-04-16
- Nuclei template Liferay Portal Unauthenticated < 7.2.1 CE GA2 - Remote Code Execution nuclei detection template
- research.checkpoint.com https://research.checkpoint.com/2021/freakout-leveraging-newest-vulnerabilities-for-creating-a-botnet/ referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA ADP | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVD | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| CNA | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVD | 2.0 | 7.5 | AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:H |
Affected packages
| ecosystem | package | affected | fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| maven | com.liferay.portal:com.liferay.portal.kernel | <4.35.3 |
4.35.3 |
Classification
- Weakness
-
- CWE-502 Deserialization of Untrusted Data
References
-
research.checkpoint.com
/2021/freakout-leveraging-newest-vulnerabilities-for-creating-a-botnet/
exploit, third-party-advisory
-
portal.liferay.dev
/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities
web, broken-link, vendor-advisory
-
portal.liferay.dev
/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/id/117954271
web, broken-link, vendor-advisory
-
packetstormsecurity.com
/files/157254/Liferay-Portal-Java-Unmarshalling-Remote-Code-Execution.html
web, third-party-advisory, vdb-entry
-
packetstormsecurity.com
/files/158392/Liferay-Portal-Remote-Code-Execution.html
web, third-party-advisory, vdb-entry
-
cisa.gov
/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-7961
government-resource, web, us-government-resource
-
nvd.nist.gov
/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7961
advisory
-
github.com
/liferay/liferay-portal
package
-
github.com
/liferay/liferay-portal/blob/7.2.1-ga2/portal-kernel/bnd.bnd
web
-
research.checkpoint.com
/2021/freakout-leveraging-newest-vulnerabilities-for-creating-a-botnet
web
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2020-7961
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-w7pm-cc4v-f3g8
- NVD CVE-2020-7961
Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.