CVE-2023-48561 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 • 09/20/2025
Adobe Experience Manager represents a comprehensive digital experience platform that enables organizations to create, manage, and deliver digital content across multiple channels. The platform serves as a critical component in enterprise digital strategies, handling user interactions through various form-based interfaces and content management functionalities. This particular vulnerability exists within the form processing and rendering mechanisms of AEM versions 6.5.18 and earlier, where input validation and output sanitization measures prove insufficient to prevent malicious script injection attacks.
The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of user-supplied data within form fields that are subsequently rendered in web pages. When low-privileged attackers submit malicious JavaScript code through accessible form interfaces, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape the input before storing and displaying it. This flaw allows the malicious code to persist in the application's database or cache, making it executable whenever legitimate users access pages containing the compromised form fields. The vulnerability specifically targets the rendering pipeline where form data transitions from storage to presentation, creating a persistent attack vector that can affect multiple users over extended periods.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, manipulate application functionality, and potentially escalate privileges within the AEM environment. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that exploit the stored XSS to perform actions such as cookie theft, redirection to malicious domains, or even execute arbitrary commands within the victim's browser context. Given that AEM typically handles sensitive business data and user information, the potential for data exfiltration and unauthorized access increases significantly. The vulnerability affects both content authors and end users who interact with AEM forms, creating a broad attack surface that can compromise the entire digital experience ecosystem.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to address this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation strategies include enabling proper HTML escaping for all user-supplied content, implementing Content Security Policy headers to restrict script execution, and conducting regular security assessments of form processing components. Security teams must also establish monitoring procedures to detect anomalous form submissions and implement web application firewalls to filter malicious payloads. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which describes cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a specific implementation weakness in the application's data handling processes. The attack pattern corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, emphasizing the need for robust input sanitization and output encoding controls to prevent malicious code execution in user browsers.