CVE-2023-48477 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 12/15/2023
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.18 and earlier are affected by a Cross-site Scripting (DOM-based 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 represents a comprehensive content management platform widely deployed across enterprise environments for digital experience management. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-48477 manifests as a DOM-based cross-site scripting flaw within AEM versions 6.5.18 and earlier, positioning this weakness within the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting. This particular variant of XSS operates at the DOM level rather than traditional input/output vectors, making it particularly insidious as it manipulates the document object model directly within the victim's browser context.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a low-privileged attacker crafts malicious URLs that, when visited by an unsuspecting victim, trigger the execution of unauthorized JavaScript code within the victim's browser session. The DOM-based nature means that the malicious payload is injected into the page's JavaScript execution environment rather than being reflected in HTTP responses, which makes detection and prevention more challenging. This flaw allows attackers to execute code in the context of the victim's browser, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or data exfiltration.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends significantly within enterprise environments where AEM serves as a central platform for content delivery and user interaction. When exploited, this XSS vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, manipulation of user sessions, and potential lateral movement within the organization's digital infrastructure. The low privilege requirement for exploitation means that even attackers with minimal access rights can potentially compromise user sessions and gain access to restricted content or functionality.
Organizations utilizing affected AEM versions face substantial risk mitigation challenges as this vulnerability can be exploited through social engineering tactics, where victims are tricked into visiting malicious URLs. The remediation approach should prioritize immediate patching to the latest AEM versions, as Adobe has released security updates addressing this specific vulnerability. Additionally, implementing robust input validation, output encoding, and Content Security Policy headers can provide additional layers of protection against similar DOM-based XSS attacks. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive assessments of their AEM implementations to identify and remediate other potential entry points for similar vulnerabilities, aligning with ATT&CK framework techniques related to initial access and execution phases.