CVE-2023-48444 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 12/15/2023
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.18 and earlier are affected by a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability that could be abused by a low-privileged attacker to inject malicious scripts into vulnerable form fields. Malicious JavaScript may be executed in a victim’s browser when they browse to the page containing the vulnerable field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2024
Adobe Experience Manager represents a comprehensive digital experience platform that serves as a cornerstone for enterprise web content management and digital asset handling. The platform's architecture includes numerous form-based interfaces and content editing capabilities that allow content creators and administrators to build interactive web experiences. These form fields and content management interfaces are integral to the platform's functionality, enabling users to input and manage various types of digital content including text, media, and structured data. The vulnerability exists within these form processing mechanisms where user input is not properly sanitized before being rendered back to users, creating a persistent security gap in the platform's input validation and output encoding processes.
The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager stems from inadequate input sanitization within the form field processing pipeline. When users submit data through forms within the AEM interface, the system fails to properly validate and encode the input before storing it in the database or content repository. This allows malicious actors with low-privileged accounts to inject malicious javascript code directly into form fields that are subsequently rendered in the user interface. The vulnerability specifically affects versions 6.5.18 and earlier, indicating a long-standing issue within the platform's security architecture that persisted across multiple releases. The flaw operates as a classic stored XSS attack where the malicious payload is stored server-side and executed whenever the affected page is accessed by any user, including administrators and other privileged users who may view the content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, creating significant risks for enterprise environments that rely heavily on Adobe Experience Manager for their digital presence. When a victim browser loads a page containing the vulnerable form field, the injected javascript code executes in the context of the victim's session, potentially compromising their browser-based access to the platform. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of the victim within the AEM environment. The low privilege requirement for exploitation means that even users with minimal access rights could potentially compromise the entire platform's security posture. This vulnerability particularly threatens organizations that use AEM for customer-facing applications, employee portals, or any environment where user-generated content is processed, as it creates persistent attack vectors that can be exploited repeatedly without requiring additional authentication or privilege escalation.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability while planning for the necessary platform upgrades. The primary immediate mitigation involves implementing strict input validation and output encoding policies that sanitize all user-submitted content before it is stored or rendered in the user interface. This approach aligns with established security practices outlined in the CWE-79 category for cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, which emphasizes the importance of proper input validation and output encoding. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, while establishing monitoring protocols to identify potential exploitation attempts. The recommended long-term solution involves upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager versions that have addressed this vulnerability, as newer releases include enhanced security controls and improved input sanitization mechanisms. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough penetration testing to identify any other potentially vulnerable form fields or content management interfaces within their AEM deployments, as similar issues may exist in other parts of the platform's architecture. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust security controls in enterprise content management systems, particularly those handling sensitive user data and providing interactive web experiences.