CVE-2025-4388: Liferay DXP Reflected XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-4388 Overview

A reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been identified in Liferay Portal and Liferay Digital Experience Platform (DXP). This security flaw exists within the Marketplace App Manager web module (modules/apps/marketplace/marketplace-app-manager-web), allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to inject and execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of a victim's browser session.

Critical Impact

Remote unauthenticated attackers can inject malicious JavaScript through the Marketplace App Manager, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized actions performed on behalf of legitimate users.

Affected Products

• Liferay Portal 7.4.0 through 7.4.3.131
• Liferay DXP 2024.Q4.0 through 2024.Q4.5, 2024.Q3.1 through 2024.Q3.13, 2024.Q2.0 through 2024.Q2.13, 2024.Q1.1 through 2024.Q1.12
• Liferay DXP 7.4 GA through update 92

Discovery Timeline

• May 6, 2025 - CVE-2025-4388 published to NVD
• December 16, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-4388

Vulnerability Analysis

This reflected XSS vulnerability (CWE-79) allows attackers to craft malicious URLs containing JavaScript payloads that are reflected back to users without proper sanitization. When a victim clicks on a specially crafted link targeting the Marketplace App Manager web component, the injected script executes within their authenticated browser session.

The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it does not require any authentication to exploit. An attacker can simply craft a malicious URL and trick users into clicking it through phishing emails, social engineering, or by embedding the link on malicious websites. Once executed, the attacker's JavaScript runs with the same privileges as the victim user, potentially enabling access to sensitive data, session tokens, and the ability to perform administrative actions.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient input validation and output encoding within the Marketplace App Manager web module. User-supplied input is reflected back in HTTP responses without adequate sanitization, allowing HTML and JavaScript injection. The affected component fails to properly escape or encode special characters that could be interpreted as executable code by the browser.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted over the network and requires no authentication. An attacker crafts a URL containing a malicious JavaScript payload targeting a vulnerable endpoint in the marketplace-app-manager-web module. The attack flow typically involves:

1. Attacker identifies the vulnerable parameter in the Marketplace App Manager
2. Attacker constructs a URL embedding malicious JavaScript code
3. The malicious URL is distributed to potential victims via phishing or other social engineering techniques
4. When a victim clicks the link while authenticated to Liferay, the JavaScript executes in their browser context
5. The attacker can then steal session cookies, capture credentials, redirect users to phishing sites, or perform actions as the authenticated user

Since no code examples are available for this vulnerability, organizations should review the Liferay Security Advisory CVE-2025-4388 for specific technical details and remediation guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-4388

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP requests to the /marketplace-app-manager-web/ endpoints containing script tags or JavaScript event handlers
• Log entries showing URL parameters with encoded JavaScript payloads (<script>, javascript:, onerror=, onload=)
• User reports of unexpected redirects or prompts when accessing the Marketplace App Manager
• Browser console errors indicating blocked inline script execution from Content Security Policy violations

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common XSS payload patterns in request parameters
• Enable and monitor Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports to identify injection attempts
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) to alert on requests containing encoded script tags or JavaScript protocol handlers
• Review web server access logs for requests to marketplace-app-manager-web endpoints with suspicious query string patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for the Marketplace App Manager module to capture all incoming request parameters
• Set up automated alerting for anomalous traffic patterns targeting Liferay portal endpoints
• Monitor user session behavior for signs of hijacking, such as simultaneous sessions from different geographic locations
• Implement real-time monitoring of client-side JavaScript errors that may indicate script injection attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-4388

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Liferay Portal to version 7.4.3.132 or later immediately
• Update Liferay DXP to the latest quarterly release that addresses this vulnerability
• Implement a Content Security Policy (CSP) header to restrict inline script execution
• Educate users about the risks of clicking links from untrusted sources, especially those targeting Liferay portal URLs

Patch Information

Liferay has released security patches addressing this vulnerability. Organizations should consult the Liferay Security Advisory CVE-2025-4388 for specific patch versions and update instructions. It is critical to apply the appropriate patch for your installed version:

• Liferay Portal users should upgrade to version 7.4.3.132 or higher
• Liferay DXP users should apply the latest quarterly update that supersedes the vulnerable versions

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules configured to detect and block XSS payloads targeting the marketplace-app-manager-web module
• Implement strict Content Security Policy headers to prevent execution of inline scripts
• Consider temporarily restricting access to the Marketplace App Manager to authenticated administrators only
• Use URL rewriting or reverse proxy rules to sanitize input parameters before they reach the Liferay application

# Example CSP header configuration for Apache
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; frame-ancestors 'self';"