CVE-2017-11296 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Adobe Experience Manager 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, 6.0. A cross-site scripting vulnerability in Apache Sling Servlets Post 2.3.20 has been resolved in Adobe Experience Manager.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11296 represents a cross-site scripting vulnerability within Adobe Experience Manager platforms running versions 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, and 6.0. This security flaw resides in the Apache Sling Servlets Post component version 2.3.20, which forms a critical part of Adobe's content management ecosystem. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it within web pages, creating an environment where malicious actors can inject harmful scripts into the application's response.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it squarely within the category of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly escape or encode data that is subsequently rendered in web contexts. This flaw allows attackers to execute malicious JavaScript code within the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability manifests when user input is processed through the Apache Sling Servlets Post functionality without adequate sanitization, enabling attackers to craft malicious payloads that exploit the web application's trust in user-provided data.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-11296 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to establish persistent access to Adobe Experience Manager environments through various attack vectors outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1059.007 technique for command and scripting interpreter. Organizations utilizing affected Adobe Experience Manager versions face significant risks including unauthorized content manipulation, data exfiltration, and potential compromise of the entire content management infrastructure. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions suggests a widespread impact across Adobe's customer base, particularly affecting enterprises that rely on AEM for digital experience management and content delivery.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Adobe Experience Manager installations to the latest available versions that contain the fixed Apache Sling Servlets Post component. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input validation controls, establish proper output encoding mechanisms, and deploy web application firewalls to detect and prevent malicious payload delivery. Security teams must conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any custom implementations that might be susceptible to similar cross-site scripting flaws, while also monitoring for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and application logs. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that the patch does not introduce regressions in existing functionality, particularly within the content management workflows that depend on the affected servlets.