CVE-2022-42126 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting the Asset Libraries module in specific versions of Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP. The affected versions include Liferay Portal 7.3.5 through 7.4.3.28, Liferay DXP 7.3 before update 8, and Liferay DXP 7.4 before update 29. The vulnerability arises from improper permission checks on asset libraries, which allows remote authenticated users to view asset libraries through the user interface without having the appropriate authorization. This is classified under CWE-284, indicating an authorization bypass or improper access control issue. The CVSS v3.1 score is 4.3 (medium), with the vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N, meaning the attack can be performed remotely over the network with low attack complexity, requires the attacker to have some level of privileges (authenticated user), does not require user interaction, and results in a limited confidentiality impact (read-only access to asset libraries). There is no indication of known exploits in the wild, and no official patches or updates are explicitly linked in the provided data, though updates beyond the specified versions presumably address the issue. The vulnerability does not impact integrity or availability, only confidentiality to a limited extent, as unauthorized viewing of asset libraries could expose sensitive organizational content or metadata stored within these libraries.

For European organizations using affected versions of Liferay Portal or DXP, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized disclosure of internal asset libraries. Asset libraries often contain digital assets such as documents, images, and other media critical to business operations. Unauthorized viewing could expose sensitive or proprietary information, potentially leading to information leakage, competitive disadvantage, or compliance issues under regulations such as GDPR if personal data is involved. Since the vulnerability requires authenticated access, the risk is primarily from insider threats or compromised user accounts. However, given Liferay's widespread use in enterprise portals, intranets, and customer-facing platforms across Europe, the exposure could be significant if attackers leverage stolen credentials or weak authentication mechanisms. The limited confidentiality impact means that while data can be viewed, it cannot be modified or deleted, reducing the risk of data tampering or service disruption. Nonetheless, the exposure of sensitive assets could facilitate further attacks or social engineering campaigns. Organizations in sectors with high regulatory scrutiny or handling sensitive data (e.g., finance, healthcare, government) may face increased risk and potential legal consequences if such data is exposed.

1. Upgrade affected Liferay Portal and DXP instances to versions beyond 7.4.3.28 for Portal, and update 8 for DXP 7.3 or update 29 for DXP 7.4, where this vulnerability is addressed. 2. Implement strict access control policies and regularly audit user permissions to ensure that only authorized users have access to asset libraries. 3. Enforce strong authentication mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 4. Monitor user activity logs for unusual access patterns to asset libraries, which may indicate exploitation attempts. 5. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider restricting network access to the Liferay management interfaces to trusted IP ranges or VPN-only access to limit exposure. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on authorization controls within Liferay environments. 7. Educate users about phishing and credential security to reduce the risk of account compromise. 8. Review and sanitize asset library contents to ensure no sensitive personal or regulated data is unnecessarily stored or exposed.