CVE-2023-48478 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 platform serves as a central hub for content creation, management, and delivery across multiple channels including websites, mobile applications, and digital marketing campaigns. Given its critical role in enterprise digital infrastructure, vulnerabilities within AEM can have significant operational and security implications for organizations relying on its services.
The identified vulnerability manifests as a DOM-based cross-site scripting flaw affecting Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.18 and earlier. This specific weakness resides in how the platform processes user-supplied input within the document object model, creating an environment where malicious scripts can be injected and executed without proper sanitization. The vulnerability operates at the DOM level rather than traditional server-side input validation, making it particularly insidious as it can exploit the way web applications manipulate and render dynamic content within the browser environment.
The exploitation scenario requires a low-privileged attacker to successfully诱导 a victim into visiting a maliciously crafted URL that references a vulnerable page within the AEM interface. This social engineering component is critical to the attack vector as it leverages the trust relationship between users and the legitimate platform. Once the victim's browser loads the malicious page, the injected JavaScript executes within the victim's browser context, potentially compromising the user session and enabling further attack vectors. The DOM-based nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious code is executed in the victim's browser rather than being stored on the server, making it harder to detect through traditional server-side security measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration from authenticated users. Attackers could potentially leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, access restricted administrative functions, or manipulate content within the AEM environment. The low privilege requirement for the attacker means that even users with minimal access rights could potentially exploit this weakness to gain broader system access. Organizations utilizing AEM for sensitive content management, digital marketing, or customer data handling face particular risk from this vulnerability.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigation strategies including updating to Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.19 or later versions which contain the necessary patches for this vulnerability. Network-based mitigations such as web application firewalls and input validation rules can provide additional protection layers, though these should not be considered complete solutions. Regular security assessments and user awareness training should be implemented to reduce the risk of successful social engineering attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a variant that operates through DOM manipulation rather than traditional input handling methods. This weakness also maps to ATT&CK technique T1531, which covers "Modify Application Configuration", as the vulnerability could potentially allow attackers to modify AEM configurations through malicious script execution within the browser context. Organizations should also conduct thorough testing of patched environments to ensure that the remediation does not introduce compatibility issues with existing AEM functionalities or custom implementations.