CVE-2023-48490 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 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 administrative interfaces and content rendering capabilities that process user inputs through web forms and URL parameters. This particular vulnerability exists within the DOM-based XSS mechanism that processes user-provided data without adequate sanitization or validation, creating a pathway for malicious code execution within the victim's browser context. The flaw specifically affects versions 6.5.18 and earlier, indicating that the issue stems from a design or implementation oversight in the platform's input handling mechanisms.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of user-supplied parameters within the DOM structure of the web application. When a user visits a maliciously crafted URL containing crafted script payloads, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape the input before rendering it within the browser's DOM. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of the victim's session, potentially compromising the user's browser environment and access to sensitive data. The vulnerability operates at the DOM level rather than traditional server-side input validation, making it particularly challenging to detect and prevent through conventional security measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform a range of malicious activities within the victim's browser context. Low-privileged attackers who can convince victims to visit malicious URLs can potentially access sensitive administrative functions, steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the victim, or even redirect users to phishing sites. The vulnerability's exploitation requires social engineering to get victims to visit malicious URLs, but once executed, it can provide attackers with persistent access to the victim's session and potentially escalate to more severe attacks. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where administrators and content creators frequently interact with the AEM platform.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to Adobe Experience Manager version 6.5.19 or later, which contains patches addressing this specific XSS vulnerability. Security teams should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application, particularly focusing on DOM-based XSS prevention techniques. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection by monitoring for suspicious URL patterns and script injection attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should include specific checks for DOM-based XSS vulnerabilities, with particular attention to how the application handles URL parameters and user inputs in the browser context. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-site Scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for scripting languages, demonstrating the need for both defensive measures and monitoring capabilities to detect and prevent exploitation attempts.