CVE-2023-48507 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.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/05/2024
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 creating, managing, and delivering digital content across multiple channels while providing robust form handling capabilities for user interactions. This particular vulnerability affects versions 6.5.18 and earlier, indicating a long-standing issue within the platform's form processing mechanisms that has persisted across multiple releases. The vulnerability manifests as a stored cross-site scripting flaw that fundamentally compromises the integrity of user input validation within the system's form fields. The security implications are particularly concerning given AEM's role in handling sensitive user data through various form interactions including contact forms, registration portals, and customer feedback systems.
The technical flaw resides in the insufficient sanitization of user inputs within form fields, allowing malicious actors to inject persistent JavaScript code that gets stored within the application's database or storage mechanisms. This stored payload remains dormant until accessed by other users who view the affected content, creating a classic stored XSS attack vector. The vulnerability specifically targets form fields where user-generated content is processed and displayed, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the victim's browser context. The low-privileged nature of the attack means that even users with minimal access rights can potentially exploit this weakness, making it particularly dangerous for environments where multiple user roles exist. According to CWE standards, this represents a CWE-79: Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability, specifically manifesting as a stored XSS variant that violates the principle of input validation and output encoding.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. Victims who browse to pages containing the compromised form fields become unwitting participants in the attack chain, with their browsers executing the injected JavaScript code. This creates a persistent threat vector where the malicious payload continues to affect users until the vulnerability is patched or the compromised content is removed. The attack surface is particularly broad given that AEM is commonly used for public-facing websites and customer portals, meaning that any user input through forms could become a potential attack vector. The vulnerability's exploitation could lead to complete compromise of user sessions, especially if the affected AEM instances handle authentication or sensitive data access. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001: Phishing with Malicious Attachments and T1059.007: Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, representing both initial access and execution phases of a potential attack chain.
Organizations utilizing affected AEM versions should prioritize immediate remediation through official Adobe patches and security updates. The implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms should be enforced across all form handling components, with regular security testing to identify potential injection points. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous JavaScript payloads in user input streams, while access controls should be reviewed to limit potential exploitation paths. Regular security awareness training for developers working with AEM platforms is essential to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom implementations. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against XSS attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining current security patches and the potential consequences of delayed remediation in enterprise content management systems.