CVE-2023-48554 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 • 01/06/2024
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.18 and earlier contain a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a significant security risk for organizations relying on this content management platform. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically classified as a stored XSS flaw that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into form fields that are subsequently rendered to other users. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the AEM form processing components, creating an attack vector where low-privileged users can manipulate form data to persist malicious code within the application's database or content storage.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to have access to a form within the AEM environment, typically through legitimate user accounts with minimal privileges. Once an attacker successfully injects malicious JavaScript into a form field, the script becomes persistent and executes whenever other users view the page containing the vulnerable field. This stored nature of the vulnerability means the malicious code remains active even after the initial injection, making it particularly dangerous for long-term compromise of user sessions and data exfiltration. The vulnerability can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious sites, as the injected scripts execute in the context of authenticated users' browsers.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to enterprise security posture and user privacy. Organizations using AEM for content management, digital marketing, or customer engagement platforms face potential exposure of sensitive user data through session manipulation and credential harvesting. The low privilege requirement for exploitation means that even users with basic access rights can compromise the security of the entire platform, potentially affecting multiple users who interact with compromised forms. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1531 for credential access through session hijacking and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter execution, making it a valuable tool for attackers seeking persistent access to enterprise networks.
Organizations should immediately implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves applying the latest security patches released by Adobe, which typically include enhanced input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent script injection. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers, input sanitization at the application level, and regular security scanning of form fields can provide defense-in-depth protection. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and regular monitoring of form submissions for suspicious patterns should also be deployed. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of all AEM instances and implement privileged access management to limit user access to form creation and modification capabilities, reducing the attack surface for potential exploitation.