CVE-2018-19726 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.4, 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, and 6.0 have a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to sensitive information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2020
Adobe Experience Manager represents a comprehensive digital experience platform that serves as a content management system for enterprise organizations. The platform handles sensitive corporate data through its web-based interface and content management capabilities. This stored cross-site scripting vulnerability affects multiple versions including 6.4, 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, and 6.0, indicating a widespread issue that has persisted across several releases. The vulnerability specifically resides in the platform's handling of user input within stored content, where malicious scripts can be injected and subsequently executed when other users access the affected content. This flaw represents a critical security weakness that directly violates the principle of input validation and sanitization. The stored XSS vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into the application's database or content storage, which then executes in the context of other users' browsers when they view the compromised content. This creates a persistent threat vector where attackers can maintain access to victim sessions and potentially escalate privileges within the application environment. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection attacks. The impact of successful exploitation extends beyond simple information disclosure, as attackers can potentially steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, and access sensitive corporate data. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious code persists in the application's database, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users over extended periods. Organizations using Adobe Experience Manager in production environments face significant risk from this vulnerability, especially given that it affects the platform's core content management functionality where users frequently input and store various types of content including text, media, and structured data. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal privileges and can be automated, making it particularly attractive to threat actors. This issue highlights the importance of regular security updates and proper input validation mechanisms within enterprise content management systems. The affected versions represent a substantial portion of Adobe Experience Manager deployments, suggesting that organizations may have widespread exposure to this vulnerability. Organizations should immediately implement security patches provided by Adobe, while also considering additional mitigations such as web application firewalls and enhanced input validation policies. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical need for comprehensive security testing of content management systems, particularly in enterprise environments where sensitive data is routinely processed and stored. Security teams must also implement monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts and ensure proper access controls are in place to limit the impact of such vulnerabilities. The persistence of this vulnerability across multiple versions indicates a fundamental flaw in the platform's input handling mechanisms that requires immediate attention from both Adobe and their enterprise customers.