CVE-2023-48555 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 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 digital strategies, handling sensitive user data through various form interactions and content management functionalities. This stored cross-site scripting vulnerability specifically targets the form handling mechanisms within AEM's content management capabilities, creating a persistent security risk that can compromise user sessions and data integrity. The vulnerability exists in versions 6.5.18 and earlier, indicating a long-standing issue that has affected numerous organizations relying on this platform for their digital presence.
The technical flaw manifests as a stored XSS vulnerability in the form field processing functionality of Adobe Experience Manager. When users submit data through forms within the AEM interface, the system fails to properly sanitize or encode user input before storing it in the database. This allows an attacker with low-privileged access to inject malicious JavaScript code directly into form fields that are subsequently rendered in the user interface. The vulnerability operates at the application layer where user input is processed and displayed without adequate security controls. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious script persists in the system and executes every time a victim views the affected page containing the compromised form field. This behavior aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, and the persistence characteristic maps to CWE-116 which deals with improper encoding or escaping of output.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. Low-privileged attackers who can submit data through forms can escalate their access and potentially compromise the entire AEM instance or access sensitive user information. The vulnerability undermines the integrity of the content management system and can lead to unauthorized access to confidential business data, user personal information, and potentially sensitive corporate documents. Organizations using AEM for customer-facing applications or internal business processes face significant risks, as the vulnerability can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to user sessions and manipulate content in real-time. This threat is particularly concerning in environments where AEM is used for managing customer relationships, employee portals, or other sensitive digital assets.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected AEM versions to address the root cause of the vulnerability. Organizations must prioritize updating to versions that contain the necessary security fixes and apply the patches as soon as possible to minimize exposure. Input validation and output encoding mechanisms should be strengthened to ensure all user-submitted data is properly sanitized before storage and rendering. Implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular security assessments of form handling components can help identify similar vulnerabilities. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual form submissions that might indicate exploitation attempts, and access controls should be reviewed to limit the ability of low-privileged users to submit potentially harmful content. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following security best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, specifically addressing the risks associated with XSS vulnerabilities and proper input validation. Organizations should implement comprehensive security awareness training for administrators and developers to prevent similar issues in custom AEM implementations and ensure proper security controls are maintained throughout the application lifecycle.