CVE-2024-26047 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 security risk for organizations relying on this content management platform. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically manifesting as a stored XSS flaw that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into form fields that are subsequently stored and executed. The vulnerability exists within the platform's handling of user input in form fields, where proper sanitization and validation mechanisms are insufficient to prevent malicious code injection. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting crafted malicious payloads through form submission interfaces, which are then stored within the application's database or storage systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the ability to establish persistent malicious presence within the target environment. When victims browse to pages containing the vulnerable form fields, their browsers execute the injected JavaScript code, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, or redirection to malicious sites. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious payload remains active even after the initial injection, allowing attackers to maintain access and control over affected systems over extended periods. This characteristic aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments and T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter through JavaScript execution.
Organizations utilizing Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.19 and earlier versions face substantial risk from this vulnerability, particularly in environments where user input is extensively used within form-based applications. The vulnerability can be exploited across multiple attack vectors including web forms, comment sections, user profile fields, and any interface that accepts and stores user-generated content without proper input validation. Security teams should recognize that this vulnerability can serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks, potentially enabling privilege escalation or lateral movement within compromised networks. The attack surface is particularly broad given that many organizations use AEM for customer-facing applications, employee portals, and content management systems where user interaction is frequent and diverse.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate remediation through patching Adobe Experience Manager to versions 6.5.20 or later, which contain the necessary fixes for this vulnerability. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent script injection attempts, while also deploying web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious payloads. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough code reviews and penetration testing to identify other potential XSS vulnerabilities within the application ecosystem. The implementation of content security policies and strict sanitization of user inputs can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, while regular security awareness training for developers can help prevent similar issues in custom application components built on top of the AEM platform.