CVE-2023-48529 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 digital experiences across multiple channels. The platform serves as a critical component in enterprise content management and digital marketing ecosystems, handling sensitive user data through various form interactions and content management features. When vulnerabilities exist within such foundational systems, the potential impact extends far beyond individual applications to encompass entire digital infrastructure ecosystems.
The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.18 and earlier stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the platform's form processing components. This flaw specifically affects how the system handles user-submitted data in form fields, failing to properly sanitize or escape malicious script content before storing and rendering it within web pages. The vulnerability operates as a classic stored XSS attack where malicious input is first persisted in the application's database or storage layer, then subsequently served to other users without proper sanitization, creating a persistent threat vector. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious JavaScript payloads that exploit the platform's insufficient data validation controls, particularly within content management and form submission interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on Adobe Experience Manager for their digital presence and user interaction management. A low-privileged attacker with access to form submission functionality can compromise the platform's integrity by injecting malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of other users who view the affected content. This creates a persistent threat where compromised users may unknowingly execute malicious code that could steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, or redirect them to malicious sites. The vulnerability undermines the trust model of the platform and can lead to data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or further exploitation of the underlying infrastructure. Organizations may experience reputational damage, regulatory compliance issues, and potential financial losses due to compromised user data and system integrity.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected Adobe Experience Manager instances to the latest available security releases. Organizations must implement comprehensive input validation controls and output encoding mechanisms throughout the platform's form processing workflows, ensuring all user-submitted data undergoes proper sanitization before storage and rendering. Network segmentation and access controls should be reinforced to limit potential attack vectors and reduce the impact of successful exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities within the platform's broader ecosystem, while security monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect anomalous behavior patterns indicative of XSS exploitation attempts. Organizations should also establish robust incident response procedures and maintain detailed audit logs to track form submissions and identify potential malicious activity within their Adobe Experience Manager implementations. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a critical concern within the ATT&CK framework under the T1059.007 technique for script execution, demonstrating how seemingly limited vulnerabilities can create significant operational security risks in enterprise digital platforms.