CVE-2025-43783: Liferay DXP Reflected XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-43783 Overview

CVE-2025-43783 is a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Liferay Portal and Liferay Digital Experience Platform (DXP). The flaw exists in the /c/portal/comment/discussion/get_editor endpoint and allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML into the browser session of a targeted user. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as clicking a crafted link. The issue is classified under [CWE-79] (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation).

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation lets an unauthenticated attacker execute arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser under the Liferay origin, enabling session token theft, credential harvesting, and unauthorized actions performed as the authenticated user.

Affected Products

Liferay Portal 7.4.3.73 through 7.4.3.128
Liferay DXP 2024.Q3.0 through 2024.Q3.1, 2024.Q2.0 through 2024.Q2.13, 2024.Q1.1 through 2024.Q1.12
Liferay DXP 7.4 update 73 through update 92

Discovery Timeline

2025-09-10 - CVE-2025-43783 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-43783

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a reflected XSS flaw in the discussion editor endpoint at /c/portal/comment/discussion/get_editor. The endpoint reflects attacker-controlled request parameters back into the HTTP response without properly neutralizing HTML or JavaScript metacharacters. When a victim loads a crafted URL, the injected payload renders inside the Liferay page context and executes with the victim's session privileges.

Because the endpoint is reachable over the network and requires no authentication, any user who can be lured to visit a malicious link becomes a target. The payload runs under the same origin as the Liferay application, granting the attacker access to cookies not marked HttpOnly, DOM contents, and the ability to issue authenticated requests on the victim's behalf.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing output encoding of user-controlled input on the get_editor discussion path. Input supplied through query parameters flows into the rendered response without HTML entity encoding or context-aware sanitization, violating the guidance in [CWE-79].

Attack Vector

An attacker crafts a URL to the affected /c/portal/comment/discussion/get_editor path containing an XSS payload in a reflected parameter. The attacker delivers the URL through phishing, social media, or another Liferay page. When the victim clicks the link, the payload executes in their browser. If the victim is an authenticated administrator, the attacker can escalate to portal-wide actions such as creating accounts or modifying content.

No verified public proof-of-concept is available. Technical specifics are documented in the Liferay Security Advisory CVE-2025-43783.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43783

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to /c/portal/comment/discussion/get_editor containing suspicious characters such as <script>, onerror=, javascript:, or URL-encoded equivalents like %3Cscript%3E.
Referer headers pointing to external domains preceding requests to the vulnerable endpoint.
Unusual outbound requests from user browsers to attacker-controlled domains shortly after visiting Liferay pages.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server and application access logs for requests to the get_editor path with query strings containing HTML tags, event handlers, or encoded script markers.
Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules that flag reflected XSS payload patterns in query parameters on Liferay endpoints.
Correlate short-lived, single-user request bursts to /c/portal/comment/discussion/get_editor with subsequent anomalous administrative actions.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose HTTP access logging on Liferay reverse proxies and forward the logs to a centralized analytics platform for pattern matching.
Monitor authenticated Liferay sessions for out-of-pattern behaviors such as new administrator accounts, permission changes, or content edits following external referrers.
Track Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports from user browsers to identify blocked inline script attempts.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43783

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the Liferay-supplied fix by upgrading to a patched Portal or DXP release as documented in the vendor advisory.
Restrict access to the /c/portal/comment/discussion/get_editor endpoint through the reverse proxy or WAF until patching completes.
Rotate session cookies and invalidate active sessions for privileged users after upgrading.

Patch Information

Liferay has published remediation details in the Liferay Security Advisory CVE-2025-43783. Administrators should upgrade Liferay Portal beyond version 7.4.3.128 and apply the DXP fix packs listed in the advisory for the 2024.Q1, 2024.Q2, 2024.Q3, and 7.4 update tracks.

Workarounds

Deploy WAF signatures that block HTML tags and JavaScript event handlers in query parameters targeting /c/portal/comment/discussion/* paths.
Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins.
Set the HttpOnly and Secure flags on Liferay session cookies to reduce the impact of script-based token theft.

bash

# Example nginx rule to block obvious XSS payloads targeting the vulnerable path
location /c/portal/comment/discussion/get_editor {
    if ($args ~* "(<|%3C)script|onerror=|javascript:") {
        return 403;
    }
    proxy_pass http://liferay_backend;
}