CVE-2023-48588 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 content management platform widely adopted by enterprises for digital experience management and web content delivery. The platform serves as a central hub for creating, managing, and publishing digital content across multiple channels while providing robust user management and workflow capabilities. Given its critical role in enterprise digital infrastructure, vulnerabilities within AEM can have significant operational and security implications across organizations relying on its services. The platform's form handling mechanisms and content rendering capabilities make it particularly susceptible to injection attacks when proper input validation and output encoding are not implemented effectively.
The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.18 and earlier stems from inadequate sanitization of user input within form fields and content management components. This flaw allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into form fields that are subsequently stored within the application's database or content repository. When other users view pages containing these stored malicious payloads, the injected scripts execute within their browser context, potentially leading to unauthorized actions, session hijacking, or data exfiltration. The vulnerability specifically affects the application's handling of user-submitted content that is rendered back to other users without proper output encoding or content validation mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it creates persistent attack vectors that can remain active for extended periods. Low-privileged attackers can exploit this vulnerability to establish footholds within enterprise environments, potentially escalating their access through additional attacks. The stored nature of the XSS means that malicious scripts can affect multiple users over time, making detection and remediation more challenging. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially leading to complete compromise of the affected AEM instances and associated data. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws and maps to attack techniques in the ATT&CK framework under T1531 for "Credential Access" and T1203 for "Exploitation for Client Execution."
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Adobe Experience Manager installations to address this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation strategy involves applying the latest security patches provided by Adobe, which typically include enhanced input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Additionally, implementing proper content security policies, enabling strict sanitization of user inputs, and conducting regular security assessments of form handling components can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious content patterns in form fields to detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security training for developers and administrators regarding secure coding practices and input validation techniques remains crucial in preventing similar vulnerabilities from emerging in custom extensions or third-party integrations.