CVE-2023-48528 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 • 01/05/2024
Adobe Experience Manager presents a significant security weakness through CVE-2023-48528, which manifests as a DOM-based cross-site scripting vulnerability affecting versions 6.5.18 and earlier. This flaw resides within the application's handling of user-supplied input in web page contexts where JavaScript execution occurs directly within the Document Object Model. The vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization and validation of parameters passed through URLs, particularly when these parameters are processed by client-side JavaScript code that manipulates DOM elements without proper output encoding. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious URLs that, when visited by an unsuspecting user, trigger the execution of malicious scripts within the victim's browser context. The DOM-based nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious payload is injected into the page through DOM manipulation rather than server-side processing, making it particularly challenging to detect and prevent through traditional server-side input validation measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the ability to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users within the AEM environment. This can result in unauthorized access to sensitive content, modification of web page content, session hijacking, and potential data exfiltration. The low-privileged nature of the attacker requirement means that even users with minimal permissions can potentially exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple user roles exist. The vulnerability's exploitation requires social engineering to convince victims to visit malicious URLs, but once triggered, the consequences can be severe as the attacker's script executes with the privileges of the authenticated user. This creates a vector for privilege escalation attacks, where attackers can leverage the vulnerability to gain access to administrative functions or sensitive data that would otherwise be protected.
Organizations using affected Adobe Experience Manager versions should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability, including updating to patched versions where available and implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1531 which covers "Modify Application Configuration" and T1203 which involves "Exploitation for Client Execution." Network-based defenses such as web application firewalls should be configured to detect and block suspicious URL patterns, particularly those containing encoded script payloads or unusual parameter combinations. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide an additional layer of protection by restricting the sources from which scripts can be executed within the application context. Regular security assessments and user education programs should be established to reduce the risk of successful social engineering attacks that could leverage this vulnerability, as the exploitation often relies on user interaction with malicious links rather than purely technical means.