CVE-2023-48514 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 presents a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in versions 6.5.18 and earlier, allowing low-privileged attackers to inject malicious scripts into form fields that persist in the application's database. This vulnerability resides in the content management system's handling of user input within form elements, where insufficient output encoding and validation mechanisms fail to properly sanitize malicious payloads. The flaw enables attackers with minimal privileges to craft malicious script payloads that are stored server-side and subsequently executed when legitimate users interact with the affected pages containing these vulnerable fields. The technical implementation involves the application's failure to properly escape or encode user-supplied content before rendering it back to users, creating a persistent vector for XSS attacks that can be triggered through normal browsing activities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive cookies, redirect users to malicious domains, or even execute more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft or data exfiltration. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, the payload remains active until manually removed from the system, potentially affecting multiple users over extended periods. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which describes improper neutralization of input during web output, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which covers "Establishment of Command and Control Channels" through web-based attack vectors. The low privilege requirement makes this particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by users with minimal access rights, potentially escalating to more severe attacks within the application's ecosystem.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data flow, particularly in form handling components. Organizations should immediately upgrade to Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.19 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed through improved sanitization of user inputs and enhanced encoding of output data. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policies (CSP) can provide an additional layer of protection by restricting script execution sources and preventing unauthorized code injection. Regular security scanning of form fields and user input areas should be conducted to identify potential injection points, while implementing proper access controls and privilege segregation can limit the scope of potential exploitation. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, and establish monitoring procedures to identify unauthorized modifications to form fields or content areas that may indicate exploitation attempts.