CVE-2022-28978 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting multiple versions of Liferay Portal (7.0.1 through 7.4.1) and Liferay DXP (versions 7.0 before fix pack 102, 7.1 before fix pack 26, 7.2 before fix pack 15, and 7.3 before service pack 3). The vulnerability resides in the Site module's user membership administration page, where an attacker can inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code via a user's name. This malicious input is then stored and rendered in the application, leading to persistent XSS attacks. Such attacks can allow remote attackers to execute scripts in the context of the victim's browser, potentially stealing session tokens, performing actions on behalf of the user, or delivering malware. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.4 (medium severity), with an attack vector of network (remote), low attack complexity, requiring privileges (PR:L) and user interaction (UI:R), and impacting confidentiality and integrity but not availability. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation). No known exploits in the wild have been reported, and no official patch links were provided in the data. The vulnerability affects authenticated users who can interact with the user membership administration page, indicating that exploitation requires some level of access and user interaction.

For European organizations using affected versions of Liferay Portal or Liferay DXP, this vulnerability poses a risk of persistent XSS attacks that can compromise user sessions and data confidentiality. Since Liferay is widely used for enterprise portals, intranet sites, and customer-facing web applications, exploitation could lead to unauthorized actions performed under the guise of legitimate users, data leakage, or defacement of web content. The impact is particularly significant for organizations handling sensitive personal data or critical business processes, as attackers could leverage the vulnerability to escalate privileges or move laterally within the network. Additionally, compliance with GDPR mandates protection of personal data, and exploitation of this vulnerability could result in data breaches subject to regulatory penalties. The requirement for authenticated access and user interaction somewhat limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with many users or weak access controls.

European organizations should prioritize upgrading affected Liferay Portal and DXP installations to the latest fix packs or service packs that address this vulnerability. In the absence of immediate patches, organizations should implement strict input validation and output encoding on user name fields within the Site module's user membership administration page to neutralize malicious scripts. Restricting administrative access to trusted personnel and enforcing strong authentication mechanisms can reduce the risk of exploitation. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can help mitigate the impact of XSS by restricting the execution of unauthorized scripts. Regular security audits and monitoring for unusual user activity on the administration pages are recommended to detect potential exploitation attempts. User training to recognize phishing or social engineering attempts that could facilitate user interaction is also beneficial.