CVE-2023-48518 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/05/2024
Adobe Experience Manager represents a comprehensive digital experience platform that enables organizations to create, manage, and deliver personalized content across multiple channels. The platform serves as a critical component in enterprise digital strategies, handling sensitive user data through various form interactions and content management capabilities. This stored cross-site scripting vulnerability specifically targets the form handling mechanisms within AEM's content management infrastructure, creating a persistent security risk that can be exploited by attackers with minimal privileges.
The technical flaw manifests in the insufficient sanitization of user input within form fields, allowing malicious JavaScript code to be stored in the application's database or content repository. When legitimate users subsequently view pages containing these compromised form fields, their browsers execute the injected scripts within the context of their authenticated sessions. This vulnerability operates as a classic stored XSS attack where the malicious payload persists server-side rather than being reflected in HTTP responses. The flaw affects AEM versions 6.5.18 and earlier, indicating that the sanitization mechanisms were either inadequate or improperly implemented in these releases.
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 escalate privileges within the application's security boundaries. Low-privileged attackers can leverage this vulnerability to compromise user sessions without requiring administrative access or complex exploitation techniques. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once injected, malicious scripts can affect multiple users over extended periods until the compromised content is removed or the vulnerability is patched. This persistent threat can significantly impact user trust and organizational security posture, particularly in environments where AEM manages sensitive customer data or employee information.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches released by Adobe, implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and conducting thorough security reviews of all form handling components. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1531 which covers credential access through web application vulnerabilities. Additional defensive measures should include regular security scanning of AEM instances, implementing content security policies, and establishing proper access controls to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious script injection patterns to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts.