CVE-2023-29307 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 06/15/2023
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.16.0 (and earlier) is 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 • 12/09/2025
Adobe Experience Manager suffers from a critical open redirect vulnerability that allows malicious actors to manipulate URL redirection behavior within the platform. This vulnerability exists in version 6.5.16.0 and all earlier releases, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on the platform. The flaw specifically enables an attacker to craft malicious URLs that will redirect users to untrusted external domains, potentially facilitating phishing attacks or malware distribution.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of redirect URLs within the application's authentication and authorization mechanisms. When users navigate through the AEM interface or interact with certain web components, the system fails to properly sanitize or validate the destination URLs in redirect parameters. This weakness aligns with CWE-601, which specifically addresses open redirect vulnerabilities where applications redirect users to arbitrary web locations without proper validation. The vulnerability requires only low privilege authentication access, meaning even users with minimal permissions can exploit this flaw, making it particularly concerning for organizations with broad user access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection attacks, as it can serve as a launching point for more sophisticated social engineering campaigns. Attackers can craft deceptive URLs that appear legitimate within the AEM context but redirect users to malicious domains designed to harvest credentials or install malware. The requirement for user interaction means that successful exploitation depends on users clicking on crafted links, but this is easily achieved through phishing emails or compromised internal communications. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering tactics including phishing, and represents a common attack vector that leverages user trust in legitimate applications.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including comprehensive URL validation across all redirect parameters within the AEM platform. The recommended approach involves implementing strict domain whitelisting for redirect destinations, ensuring that only trusted domains can receive redirect traffic from the application. Additionally, organizations should deploy web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious redirect patterns, and implement user education programs to raise awareness about potential phishing attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the AEM environment. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of maintaining current software versions and applying security patches promptly, as this issue has been addressed in later releases of the Adobe Experience Manager platform.