CVE-2024-20779 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 04/10/2024
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.19 and earlier are affected by a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability that could be abused by an 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 • 04/07/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.19 and earlier contain a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a significant threat to web application security. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. The flaw exists in the handling of user input within form fields, where malicious scripts are not properly sanitized or escaped before being stored and subsequently rendered to end users. The vulnerability enables attackers to inject persistent malicious code that remains stored within the application's database or storage mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users over time.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker submits malicious JavaScript code through form fields within the Adobe Experience Manager interface. This code is then stored server-side and executed whenever legitimate users view the affected pages containing the vulnerable form fields. The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability means that the malicious payload persists even after the initial injection, allowing attackers to maintain access to victim sessions or redirect users to malicious sites. The vulnerability specifically affects the rendering pipeline of form elements, where input validation is insufficient to prevent script injection attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable more sophisticated attack vectors including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to phishing sites. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information from authenticated users who view the compromised pages. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Adobe Experience Manager is widely used for content management and digital marketing platforms, meaning that successful exploitation could compromise enterprise web applications and potentially lead to data breaches or unauthorized access to sensitive corporate information. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for "Modify Application Configuration" and T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript" in its exploitation methods.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability by upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.20 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the stored XSS flaw. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms can provide defense-in-depth measures while waiting for official patches. Security teams should conduct thorough audits of all form fields and user input handling within the application to identify potential additional vectors. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper sanitization of user inputs and the necessity of maintaining up-to-date security patches in enterprise content management systems. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to mitigate the risk of exploitation even if the primary fix is not immediately available. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities are not present in other components of the web application stack.