CVE-2024-26046 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 of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically classified as a stored XSS flaw where malicious input is permanently stored on the server and subsequently executed when users access the affected pages. The vulnerability exists within the form handling mechanisms of AEM, where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to users, creating an attack surface that allows malicious actors to inject persistent JavaScript payloads.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to submit malicious JavaScript code through form fields within the AEM interface, which are then stored in the application's database or storage system. When other users navigate to pages containing these vulnerable form fields, their browsers execute the injected scripts within the context of their authenticated sessions. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, or redirection to malicious sites. The attack chain typically involves crafting malicious input that bypasses client-side validation and is then processed server-side without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable sophisticated attack scenarios including privilege escalation, data manipulation, and comprehensive session compromise. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to steal user sessions, modify content, access sensitive data, or establish persistent backdoors within the AEM environment. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once a malicious script is injected, it can affect multiple users over an extended period without requiring repeated exploitation attempts. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for content management systems where multiple administrators and content creators interact with the platform regularly.
Organizations utilizing affected Adobe Experience Manager versions should prioritize immediate remediation through official security patches provided by Adobe, as recommended in the ATT&CK framework's mitigation strategies for web application vulnerabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and output encoding practices as outlined in OWASP Top Ten security controls, where proper sanitization of user inputs and context-aware output encoding can prevent XSS attacks. Additional mitigations include implementing Content Security Policy headers, regular security assessments of web applications, and comprehensive monitoring of user input fields for suspicious content patterns. Security teams should also consider network-level protections such as web application firewalls and regular vulnerability scanning to detect and prevent exploitation attempts before they can succeed in the production environment.