CVE-2018-19727 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.4, 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, and 6.0 have a reflected 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 suffers from a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability that affects multiple versions including 6.4, 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, and 6.0. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which represents Cross-Site Scripting, specifically the reflected variant where malicious scripts are reflected from the web server back to the user agent. The flaw occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize user input before reflecting it in web responses, creating an opportunity for attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of the victim's browser. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the AEM framework, particularly in areas that process user-supplied parameters through URL queries or form submissions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can lead to sensitive information disclosure through various attack vectors. An attacker could craft malicious URLs containing script payloads that, when clicked by an authenticated user, would execute in the user's browser context. This could result in session hijacking, credential theft, or the extraction of sensitive data from the AEM environment. The reflected nature means that the attack payload is not stored on the server but rather injected into the response by the web application itself, making it particularly challenging to detect and prevent through traditional security measures. The vulnerability is especially dangerous in enterprise environments where AEM is used for content management and digital experience platforms, as it could compromise the integrity of sensitive business data and user information.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability. Input validation and output encoding should be strengthened across all user-facing interfaces, particularly in areas that process URL parameters and form data. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while proper session management and authentication controls should be enforced to minimize the potential impact of successful attacks. Organizations using affected AEM versions should prioritize applying vendor patches and updates as soon as they become available, following the principle of least privilege for user access controls, and implementing web application firewalls to monitor and filter malicious traffic. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection and T1566 for credential access through social engineering attacks that leverage reflected XSS to establish initial access to sensitive systems.