How severe is CVE-2020-7961?

CVE-2020-7961 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-7961 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2020-7961 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-7961?

CVE-2020-7961 affects Liferay Liferay Portal. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-7961?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.

Does CVE-2020-7961 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2020-7961 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2022-5527. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).

When was CVE-2020-7961 published?

CVE-2020-7961 was published on 2020-03-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-7961

CVE-2020-7961 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Liferay Liferay Portal with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2021-11-03). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-502.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 100% (100th percentile)
Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2021-11-03)
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2022-5527
EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2021-11-03)
Weakness: CWE-502
Affected product: Liferay Liferay Portal
Published: 2020-03-20
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

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).

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-7961?: 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).
How severe is CVE-2020-7961?: CVE-2020-7961 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-7961 being actively exploited?: Yes. CVE-2020-7961 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-7961?: CVE-2020-7961 affects Liferay Liferay Portal. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-7961?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2020-7961 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2020-7961 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2022-5527. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).
When was CVE-2020-7961 published?: CVE-2020-7961 was published on 2020-03-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:liferay:liferay_portal:*:*:*:*:community:*:*:*

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