CVE-2020-7961
Confirmed PUBLISHEDDeserialization of Untrusted Data in Liferay Portal prior to 7.2.1 CE GA2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via JSON web services...
Recommended Action
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
At a Glance
Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Liferay Portal prior to 7.2.1 CE GA2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via JSON web services (JSONWS).
- CVE Published
- Mar 20, 2020
- Exploitation Reported
- Nov 03, 2021
- CVSS
- 9.8 Critical
- EPSS
- —
Affected Versions
| Vendor | Product | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| n/a |
n/a
|
n/a |
Affected |
CVE References
- portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities portal.liferay.dev · CVE Record https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities
- portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset... portal.liferay.dev · CVE Record https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/ass...
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/157254/Liferay-Portal-Java-Unmarshalli... packetstormsecurity.com · CVE Record http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157254/Liferay-Portal-Java-Unmar...
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/158392/Liferay-Portal-Remote-Code-Exec... packetstormsecurity.com · CVE Record http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158392/Liferay-Portal-Remote-Cod...
- research.checkpoint.com/2021/freakout-leveraging-newest-vulnerabilit... research.checkpoint.com · CVE Record https://research.checkpoint.com/2021/freakout-leveraging-newest-vulne...
Recommended Actions
- Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
- Check enrichment artifacts for scanner coverage and available PoCs before rolling remediation validation.
- Use the Pro API to automate enrichment, telemetry, and workflow delivery for VM, SOC, and CTI pipelines.
Known Exploited Vulnerability Sources
Catalogues that list this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability.
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEVIntel Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| CISA First | 2021-11-03 00:00 UTC |
Scanner Artifacts
Nuclei and Metasploit references linked to this CVE.
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclei | https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2020/CVE-2020-7961.yaml | Apr 25, 2025 |
| Metasploit | https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling.rb | Apr 28, 2025 |
Virtual Patch
Compensating WAF rules to help reduce exposure to this CVE. Rule content and deployable vendor exports are available with KEVIntel Enterprise.
KEVIntel does not currently have a virtual patch for this CVE. When available, KEVIntel virtual patches ship as deployable ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF rules.
Enterprise feature. Virtual patch rule content and deployable vendor exports (ModSecurity, Cloudflare, AWS WAF) are available to KEVIntel Enterprise users.
CVSS Scores
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Exploitation Status
Exploited in the wild
Recorded 2021-11-03 00:00:00 UTC · CISA
Proof of concept available
Recorded 2020-03-26 01:34:38 UTC · GitHub
Weaknesses (CWE)
-
Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Scanner Integrations
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Metasploit | https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling.rb | Apr 28, 2025 |
| Nuclei | https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2020/CVE-2020-7961.yaml | Apr 25, 2025 |
Potential Proof of Concepts
These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.
github · Created 2024-03-14 07:29:50 UTC · 0 stars
github · Created 2021-04-09 01:50:14 UTC · 1 stars
CVE-2020–7961 Mass exploit for Script Kiddies
github · Created 2021-01-14 19:18:13 UTC · 17 stars
Exploit script for CVE-2020-7961
github · Created 2020-12-08 08:22:18 UTC · 3 stars
POC-CVE-2020-7961-Token-iterate
github · Created 2020-10-17 08:32:51 UTC · 2 stars
Detect vulns liferay CVE-2020-7961 by Nattroc (EOG Team)
github · Created 2020-06-23 03:01:57 UTC · 2 stars
github · Created 2020-05-23 17:01:57 UTC · 5 stars
Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Liferay Portal prior to 7.2.1 CE GA2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via JSON web services (JSONWS)
github · Created 2020-04-27 04:27:51 UTC · 1 stars
github · Created 2020-03-26 01:34:38 UTC · 116 stars
nuclei · Created Unknown
Timeline
Key exploitation, disclosure, scanner coverage, and KEV attestation events for this CVE.
-
15:02 UTC about 1 year ago15:02 UTC · about 1 year ago
Metasploit module available
Exploit module available
-
00:00 UTC about 1 year ago00:00 UTC · about 1 year ago
Nuclei template available
Scanner coverage available
-
00:00 UTC over 4 years ago00:00 UTC · over 4 years ago
Added to CISA KEV
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
-
01:34 UTC over 6 years ago01:34 UTC · over 6 years ago
Public PoC available
Public proof-of-concept code published
-
18:16 UTC over 6 years ago18:16 UTC · over 6 years ago
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
00:00 UTC over 6 years ago00:00 UTC · over 6 years ago
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Automate This Intelligence with the Pro API
Confidence scoring, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
Pro API Example
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2020-7961
{
"cve_id": "CVE-2020-7961",
"title": "Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Liferay Portal prior to 7.2.1 CE GA2 all...",
"affected_vendor": "Liferay",
"affected_product": "Liferay Portal",
"affected_versions": [
{ "vendor": "...", "product": "...", "status": "affected", "display_label": "..." }
],
"confidence": "Confirmed",
"cvss_score": 9.8,
"epss_score": null,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "...": "Pro API fields" },
"proof_of_concepts": [ "..." ],
"scanner_integrations": [ "..." ]
}