CVE-2023-48455 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 12/15/2023
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.18 and earlier are affected by a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. If a low-privileged attacker is able to convince a victim to visit a URL referencing a vulnerable page, malicious JavaScript content may be executed within the context of the victim's browser.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2024
Adobe Experience Manager serves as a comprehensive content management platform that enables organizations to create, manage, and deliver digital experiences across multiple channels. The platform's architecture includes various web interfaces and administrative components that handle user input through URL parameters and form fields. This particular vulnerability exists within the web application's request handling mechanism where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being reflected back to the user's browser. The reflected XSS flaw occurs when the application processes URL parameters without adequate input validation or output encoding, allowing malicious scripts to be injected and executed in the victim's browser context.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user-provided parameters within the AEM web framework. When a user visits a maliciously crafted URL containing script payloads, the application processes these parameters and reflects them back in the HTTP response without proper HTML escaping or context-aware encoding. This creates an environment where an attacker can inject JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser session, potentially stealing session cookies, modifying page content, or redirecting users to malicious sites. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited through social engineering techniques where attackers craft deceptive URLs that appear legitimate to unsuspecting users. The low privilege requirement means that even users with minimal access rights can potentially exploit this vulnerability to escalate their privileges or compromise other users within the same administrative domain.
The operational impact of this reflected XSS vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks within the AEM environment. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to steal administrative session tokens, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive content management features and user data. The attack surface is broad given that AEM is frequently used for enterprise content management, making it a valuable target for threat actors seeking to compromise organizational digital assets. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical skill and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently click on links from untrusted sources. Security teams must consider that this vulnerability can be chained with other exploits to create more severe impact scenarios, such as privilege escalation or data exfiltration.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager version 6.5.19 or later where the vulnerability has been patched. Network-based protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth by filtering malicious payloads before they reach the application servers. Input validation should be strengthened at all entry points where user-supplied data is processed, with proper output encoding implemented for all dynamic content. Security awareness training for users can help prevent successful social engineering attacks that rely on tricking individuals into visiting malicious URLs. Regular security scanning and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications within the organization's attack surface. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script execution through web interfaces, emphasizing the importance of proper input sanitization and output encoding in web application security controls.