CVE-2024-26061 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/15/2025
Adobe Experience Manager represents a comprehensive web content management platform widely deployed across enterprise environments for digital experience management. The platform serves as a central hub for creating, managing, and delivering digital content across multiple channels and touchpoints. This vulnerability affects versions 6.5.19 and earlier, indicating a long-standing issue that has persisted through multiple releases. The affected system components include form processing mechanisms and input validation routines that handle user-submitted data within the AEM interface.
The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user inputs within form fields that are subsequently rendered back to users. When users submit data through forms within the AEM environment, the system fails to properly validate or escape special characters that could be interpreted as executable JavaScript code. This flaw allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist in the system and execute whenever the compromised data is displayed. The vulnerability specifically targets form fields that store user input, making it particularly dangerous in environments where content authors or administrators frequently enter data through web forms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to establish persistent footholds within the AEM environment. Successful exploitation could allow threat actors to access administrative interfaces, modify content, steal session cookies, or redirect users to malicious sites. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once injected, malicious scripts remain active until manually removed, potentially affecting multiple users over extended periods. This makes the vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations that rely on AEM for critical business operations and content delivery. The attack vector requires minimal privileges, as the vulnerability can be exploited through standard form submission mechanisms without requiring administrative access.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected AEM instances to remediate this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager version 6.5.20 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Additionally, implementing input validation controls and output encoding measures can provide defense-in-depth protection. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of all AEM instances to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in custom components and extensions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links, though in this case the attack vector is more subtle through form-based input manipulation. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to further reduce the attack surface and prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in the future.