CVE-2019-16466 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5, 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 • 01/16/2020
Adobe Experience Manager represents a comprehensive content management platform widely deployed across enterprise environments for digital experience management. This platform serves as a central hub for content creation, management, and delivery across multiple channels including web, mobile, and social media platforms. The vulnerability exists within the server-side processing of user input parameters that are not properly sanitized before being returned to users in HTTP responses. When users interact with the AEM interface or access specific endpoints, the application fails to adequately validate or escape special characters in input fields, creating opportunities for malicious actors to inject crafted script payloads that execute within the context of other users' browsers.
The reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability specifically manifests when user-supplied parameters are directly included in HTTP responses without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. Attackers can construct malicious URLs containing script code within parameters that are then reflected back to victims who click on these links. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Adobe Experience Manager including 6.5, 6.4, 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, and 6.0, indicating this is a persistent flaw across the product lineage. This weakness aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as a critical security concern where web applications fail to properly validate or escape user-controllable input before incorporating it into dynamic content. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various attack vectors including phishing campaigns, compromised web pages, or direct user interaction with malicious links.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks including session hijacking, credential theft, and privilege escalation within the AEM environment. When successful, attackers can access sensitive information such as user session tokens, administrative credentials, and content management access controls. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that exploitation requires user interaction with malicious links, but once executed, the scripts can access the victim's browser session and potentially access the AEM administrative interface or content repositories. This vulnerability can be leveraged as a stepping stone for further attacks within the enterprise network, particularly in environments where AEM serves as a critical component for digital asset management and content delivery. The attack surface is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where AEM systems may contain sensitive business information, customer data, and proprietary content that could be compromised through successful exploitation.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious script injection. The recommended approach involves implementing proper parameter sanitization at all entry points where user input is processed and returned to users. This includes implementing Content Security Policy headers, input validation routines, and proper HTML encoding for all dynamic content generation. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious parameter patterns and establish monitoring procedures to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and implementing defense-in-depth strategies. Organizations should follow ATT&CK framework guidance for mitigating web application vulnerabilities by focusing on input validation controls, output encoding, and user access controls to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications and systems within the enterprise environment.