CVE-2025-43824 is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability classified under CWE-79 affecting Liferay Portal and Liferay DXP products in multiple versions, including 7.4.0 through 7.4.3.111 and various 2023 Q3 and Q4 releases. The vulnerability stems from the Profile widget’s handling of user input in the Content-Disposition HTTP header when users download their vCard files. Specifically, the user’s name is incorporated into this header without proper sanitization or neutralization, allowing remote authenticated users to manipulate the file extension of the downloaded vCard. This manipulation can be leveraged to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of the victim’s browser, leading to potential XSS attacks. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges beyond authentication (PR:L), and user interaction (UI:A). The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality, integrity, or availability directly but can lead to limited integrity and confidentiality impacts via script execution. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches are linked yet, indicating the need for vigilance and proactive mitigation. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Liferay versions, including some older unsupported releases, increasing the exposure risk for organizations that have not updated their portal software.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to internal and external web portal users who rely on Liferay Portal or Liferay DXP for profile management and data exchange. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute malicious scripts in users’ browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, unauthorized actions, or data theft within the portal environment. This is particularly concerning for sectors such as government, finance, healthcare, and large enterprises that use Liferay for intranet portals or customer-facing applications. Although the vulnerability requires authentication and user interaction, the widespread use of Liferay in Europe means that many organizations could be exposed, especially if they have not applied recent updates or mitigations. The impact on confidentiality and integrity is moderate, while availability is not directly affected. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop exploits over time.

European organizations should prioritize upgrading to the latest Liferay Portal and DXP versions once official patches addressing CVE-2025-43824 are released. In the interim, organizations can mitigate risk by implementing strict input validation and sanitization on user names and other inputs used in HTTP headers, particularly the Content-Disposition header. Applying Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can help reduce the impact of potential XSS by restricting script execution sources. Additionally, organizations should review and tighten authentication controls to limit access to the Profile widget and monitor logs for unusual activity related to vCard downloads. User education on phishing and social engineering risks related to malicious file downloads can also reduce exploitation likelihood. Network segmentation and web application firewalls (WAFs) configured to detect and block suspicious header manipulations may provide additional protection. Finally, maintaining an asset inventory to identify all Liferay instances and their versions will facilitate targeted remediation efforts.