CVE-2021-33338Network attack vector

Forged authenticated requests via exposed CSRF token

Published Aug 4, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

CSRF in Liferay Portal and DXP allows man-in-the-middle attackers to forge authenticated requests with p_auth tokens exposed in URLs. The Layout module places the p_auth CSRF token in page-management URLs, allowing an on-path observer to capture and reuse it. Exploitation requires a man-in-the-middle position and interaction by a logged-in victim; forged operations execute only with that victim's privileges.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.42%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

CSRF in Liferay Portal and DXP allows man-in-the-middle attackers to forge authenticated requests with p_auth tokens exposed in URLs. The Layout module places the p_auth CSRF token in page-management URLs, allowing an on-path observer to capture and reuse it. Exploitation requires a man-in-the-middle position and interaction by a logged-in victim; forged operations execute only with that victim's privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-33338
Published
Aug 4, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-352
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 4, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

5.1NIST National Vulnerability DatabaseAV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
7.5NIST National Vulnerability DatabaseCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-352Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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