CVE-2025-43757: Liferay Digital Experience Platform XSS

CVE-2025-43757 Overview

CVE-2025-43757 is a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Liferay Portal and Liferay Digital Experience Platform (DXP). The flaw resides in the _com_liferay_dynamic_data_mapping_web_portlet_DDMPortlet_definition parameter of the Dynamic Data Mapping (DDM) portlet. A remote authenticated attacker can inject JavaScript that executes in the context of a victim's browser session after user interaction. The issue is classified under CWE-79 and impacts a broad range of Liferay releases, including Portal 7.4.0 through 7.4.3.132, 7.4 GA through update 92, and multiple DXP quarterly releases from 2024.Q1 through 2025.Q2.

Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker can execute arbitrary JavaScript in a victim's browser, enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions in Liferay Portal and DXP.

Affected Products

Liferay Portal 7.4.0 through 7.4.3.132 and 7.4 GA through update 92
Liferay DXP 2025.Q2.0–2025.Q2.2, 2025.Q1.0–2025.Q1.14, 2024.Q4.0–2024.Q4.7
Liferay DXP 2024.Q3.1–2024.Q3.13, 2024.Q2.1–2024.Q2.13, 2024.Q1.1–2024.Q1.18

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-20 - CVE-2025-43757 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-43757

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a reflected XSS in the Liferay Dynamic Data Mapping (DDM) portlet. The _com_liferay_dynamic_data_mapping_web_portlet_DDMPortlet_definition request parameter is reflected into the HTTP response without adequate output encoding. When a victim clicks a crafted link, the injected JavaScript executes within the origin of the Liferay application. Because the attack executes in an authenticated browser session, it can be used to perform any action the victim is permitted to perform, including reading portal content, modifying data structures, or extracting session tokens accessible to JavaScript.

Exploitation requires an authenticated context and user interaction, which lowers the practical risk against internet-exposed portals. However, in multi-tenant portal deployments where lower-privileged users can target administrators, an attacker can chain this XSS with administrative workflows to escalate access.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of input during web page generation ([CWE-79]) in the DDM portlet's handling of the definition parameter. User-controlled input is placed into the rendered HTML or JavaScript context without contextual escaping, allowing attacker-supplied script content to be parsed and executed by the browser.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires an authenticated session plus user interaction. An attacker crafts a URL containing malicious JavaScript in the vulnerable parameter and lures a Liferay-authenticated user to visit it, for example through phishing, an embedded iframe, or a social media link. When the response renders, the injected payload executes in the victim's browser under the Liferay origin. See the Liferay Security Advisory CVE-2025-43757 for vendor guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43757

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to Liferay endpoints containing the _com_liferay_dynamic_data_mapping_web_portlet_DDMPortlet_definition parameter with values including <script, javascript:, onerror=, onload=, or URL-encoded equivalents such as %3Cscript.
Unexpected outbound requests from user browsers to attacker-controlled domains shortly after visiting Liferay URLs.
Session anomalies such as new admin actions, data structure modifications, or privilege changes originating from legitimate user sessions.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server and reverse proxy logs for requests to DDM portlet URLs containing HTML tag characters or script keywords in the definition parameter.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that flags reflected XSS payload patterns against Liferay portlet parameters.
Correlate authenticated session activity with anomalous JavaScript-triggered API calls in Liferay audit logs.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable and centralize Liferay access, audit, and application logs in a SIEM for continuous review.
Monitor for phishing campaigns that reference Liferay portal URLs and quarantine suspicious inbound emails.
Track privileged account activity for anomalous configuration or content changes following user visits to external links.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43757

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Liferay Portal and DXP to the fixed release identified in the Liferay Security Advisory CVE-2025-43757.
Enforce strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit inline script execution and restrict script sources.
Review Liferay role assignments to reduce the number of authenticated users capable of triggering the vulnerable endpoint.

Patch Information

Liferay has published a security advisory and fixed builds for both Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP. Administrators should apply the vendor-supplied patch corresponding to their branch (7.4 GA, 7.4.3.x, or the appropriate DXP quarterly release) as documented in the Liferay Security Advisory CVE-2025-43757. No public proof-of-concept or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported at time of writing.

Workarounds

Deploy WAF signatures that block script keywords and HTML tag characters in the _com_liferay_dynamic_data_mapping_web_portlet_DDMPortlet_definition parameter.
Configure a restrictive Content-Security-Policy response header to disallow inline scripts and untrusted script sources.
Restrict access to the DDM portlet to trusted administrators until the patch is applied.

bash

# Example Content-Security-Policy header to restrict inline JavaScript
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; base-uri 'self'; frame-ancestors 'self'"