CVE-2023-22266 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 03/22/2023
Experience Manager versions 6.5.15.0 (and earlier) are affected by a URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect') vulnerability. A low-privilege authenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to redirect users to malicious websites. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/28/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-22266 represents a critical open redirect flaw within Adobe Experience Manager platforms running version 6.5.15.0 and earlier. This security weakness manifests as an improper validation of redirect URLs, allowing malicious actors to craft deceptive links that appear legitimate while directing users to unauthorized external domains. The vulnerability specifically affects authenticated users within the Experience Manager environment, though the attacker requires minimal privileges to exploit this weakness.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the application's redirect functionality. When the system processes URL redirection parameters, it fails to properly sanitize or verify the destination URLs against a trusted domain whitelist. This flaw enables attackers to inject malicious URLs that bypass normal security controls, effectively creating a bridge between the legitimate application interface and potentially harmful external resources. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-601 as an open redirect vulnerability, which directly maps to the ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for 'Phishing via Social Media' and T1566.002 for 'Phishing via Email'.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection attacks. A successful exploitation allows attackers to perform credential harvesting, malware distribution, and social engineering campaigns that appear to originate from trusted Experience Manager interfaces. The requirement for user interaction means that attackers must convince targets to click on crafted links, typically through phishing emails or social media messages. This interaction requirement actually reduces the attack surface but does not eliminate the risk, as the attack vector remains highly effective in environments where users frequently interact with web-based content management systems. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise settings where Experience Manager serves as a central hub for digital content management and user engagement.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-22266 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to version 6.5.15.1 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive URL validation controls at the application level, ensuring all redirect parameters are verified against a strict whitelist of approved domains. Network-level controls including web application firewalls and content filtering systems can provide additional protection layers. Security teams should conduct thorough user awareness training to recognize suspicious links and phishing attempts, particularly those that appear to originate from internal systems. Regular security assessments should include testing for similar redirect vulnerabilities across the entire application portfolio. The implementation of proper access controls and principle of least privilege ensures that even if redirection attacks succeed, the attacker's capabilities remain limited. Organizations should also establish monitoring procedures to detect unusual redirect patterns and unauthorized URL modifications within their Experience Manager environments.