CVE-2019-8086 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5, 6.4, 6.3 and 6.2 have a xml external entity injection vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to sensitive information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2019
Adobe Experience Manager suffers from an xml external entity injection vulnerability that affects versions 6.5, 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2. This flaw resides in the application's processing of xml data and allows attackers to inject external entities into xml parsers. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization of xml content, particularly when handling user-supplied xml data through various apis and endpoints. When the application processes xml documents containing external entity references, it fails to properly restrict access to external resources, enabling attackers to craft malicious xml payloads that can trigger the injection of external entities. The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-611, which specifically addresses improper restriction of XML external entity reference. This weakness allows attackers to access local files, perform server-side request forgery attacks, and potentially exfiltrate sensitive data from the affected system. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to system resources. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by submitting crafted xml content through various upload mechanisms or api endpoints that process xml data, potentially leading to the exposure of system configuration files, database credentials, or other sensitive information stored within the application environment. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the attack pattern taxonomy under the category of xml external entity injection attacks, which are classified as part of the broader category of injection flaws in the attack framework. The security implications of this vulnerability are particularly concerning given that Adobe Experience Manager serves as a content management platform for enterprise organizations, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to access sensitive corporate data. Organizations running these affected versions should immediately implement mitigations including disabling external entity processing in xml parsers, implementing strict input validation and sanitization measures, and restricting access to xml processing endpoints. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper xml parsing security controls and highlights the need for comprehensive input validation across all data processing pathways within web applications. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious xml payloads and ensure that all xml processing components are configured to reject external entity references by default. The attack surface for this vulnerability encompasses all xml processing functionality within the application, including file upload mechanisms, data import features, and api endpoints that accept xml formatted data. Security teams should conduct thorough assessments of their Adobe Experience Manager implementations to identify all potential attack vectors and ensure that appropriate protections are in place to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.