CVE-2024-26045 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 03/18/2024
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.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/15/2025
Adobe Experience Manager represents a comprehensive digital experience platform that enables organizations to create, manage, and deliver personalized web experiences across multiple channels. The platform serves as a central hub for content management, digital asset management, and customer engagement workflows. Given its widespread adoption across enterprise environments, vulnerabilities within AEM can potentially impact thousands of organizations that rely on its functionality for their digital presence. The stored XSS vulnerability in question affects the core content management capabilities of the platform, specifically targeting form fields that users can populate with content. This flaw exists in versions 6.5.19 and earlier, indicating that the vulnerability has been present for an extended period and likely affects numerous production deployments. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as it represents a fundamental breach in the platform's input validation mechanisms, allowing attackers to inject malicious payloads that persist within the system's data stores.
The technical implementation of this stored XSS vulnerability occurs within the form processing and content rendering components of Adobe Experience Manager. When users submit data through forms within the AEM interface, the platform should properly sanitize and validate all input before storing it in the database or content repository. However, the vulnerability allows attackers to bypass these validation checks by injecting malicious JavaScript code directly into form fields that are later rendered to other users. The malicious code typically takes the form of script tags or other executable payloads that can perform various malicious activities when executed in a victim's browser context. This stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious content persists within the system and can affect multiple users over time, unlike reflected XSS attacks that require specific user interactions to trigger. The vulnerability specifically targets the rendering pipeline where form data is processed and displayed back to users, creating a persistent attack vector that can be exploited across different user sessions and browser environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple browser-based attacks, as it can enable sophisticated attack chains that compromise entire user sessions and potentially lead to broader system exploitation. When an attacker successfully injects malicious JavaScript into form fields, they can execute code in the context of other users' browsers, potentially stealing session cookies, performing unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, or redirecting users to malicious websites. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that the attack can be persistent and difficult to detect, as the malicious code remains embedded within the system's legitimate content. This creates a significant risk for organizations that rely on AEM for sensitive content management or customer interaction workflows, as attackers could compromise user credentials, access restricted content, or manipulate the platform's functionality. The vulnerability also impacts the platform's integrity and trust model, as users may unknowingly interact with compromised content that appears legitimate within the AEM interface.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including updating to patched versions of Adobe Experience Manager, implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of all AEM instances. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing via Service) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript) as attackers can leverage it to execute malicious scripts and establish persistent access. Security teams should also implement web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious script patterns, conduct regular penetration testing of AEM environments, and establish incident response procedures for detecting and remediating stored XSS attacks. Additionally, organizations should review their content management practices to ensure that user-generated content is properly sanitized and that appropriate access controls are implemented to limit the scope of potential exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle to prevent such persistent attack vectors from being introduced into production systems.