CVE-2022-30683 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 09/16/2022
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.13.0 (and earlier) is affected by a Violation of Secure Design Principles vulnerability that could lead to bypass the security feature of the encryption mechanism in the backend . An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to decrypt secrets, however, this is a high-complexity attack as the threat actor needs to already possess those secrets. Exploitation of this issue requires low-privilege access to AEM.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-30683 affects Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.13.0 and earlier, representing a significant security flaw that violates fundamental secure design principles. This issue resides within the backend encryption mechanisms of the AEM platform, creating a potential pathway for attackers to bypass critical security controls that are meant to protect sensitive data. The vulnerability stems from improper implementation of encryption security features, which allows for potential decryption of stored secrets that should remain protected. The affected system architecture fails to maintain proper separation between encryption and decryption processes, creating a design flaw that undermines the overall security posture of the platform. This type of vulnerability directly relates to CWE-310, which encompasses cryptographic issues and violations of secure design principles, specifically addressing the improper implementation of cryptographic functions and security mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires attackers to already possess certain secrets within the system, making the attack complexity relatively high. However, the low-privilege access requirement means that an attacker with minimal system permissions could potentially leverage this weakness. The vulnerability operates at the backend level where encryption mechanisms are implemented, suggesting that the cryptographic implementation may have insufficient protection against reverse engineering or unauthorized access attempts. Attackers would need to understand the specific encryption implementation details and potentially exploit weaknesses in how the system manages cryptographic keys or secret storage. The fact that this vulnerability affects the encryption mechanism itself rather than just the access controls creates a more fundamental security risk, as it undermines the core protection that should safeguard sensitive information.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for organizations relying on Adobe Experience Manager for content management and digital experience delivery. The potential for decryption of secrets could expose sensitive configuration data, user credentials, or other confidential information that is stored within the AEM system. This risk extends beyond simple data exposure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks where attackers can leverage decrypted information to escalate privileges or access additional system components. The high complexity requirement means that while not easily exploitable by casual threat actors, it represents a serious concern for organizations that may have compromised accounts or insider threats that could potentially leverage this vulnerability. The impact is particularly severe in environments where AEM manages sensitive customer data or enterprise information systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to Adobe Experience Manager versions that address this vulnerability, as well as conducting thorough assessments of existing secrets and encryption implementations within their AEM environments. The recommended approach involves applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates that specifically address the secure design principle violations in the encryption mechanisms. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can help limit potential exploitation even if the vulnerability is present. Security teams should also perform comprehensive audits of secret management practices and encryption implementations to identify any additional weaknesses that may compound the risk. Organizations should consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unauthorized access attempts or unusual decryption activities within their AEM systems. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which covers "Unsecured Credentials" and highlights the importance of proper credential and secret management in enterprise environments. The mitigation strategy should also include regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar secure design principle violations that may exist within the broader system architecture.