CVE-2024-26062 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 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. Given its critical role in enterprise digital infrastructure, vulnerabilities within AEM can pose significant risks to organizational security postures. The affected versions 6.5.19 and earlier contain a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that fundamentally compromises the integrity of user input validation mechanisms. This vulnerability specifically targets form fields within the AEM interface where user-generated content is persisted to the backend database. The stored nature of this XSS flaw means that malicious scripts are not merely reflected in response headers but are permanently embedded within the application's data storage, making them persistent threats that can affect multiple users over extended periods. The vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user inputs within form processing components, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through carefully crafted payloads. When legitimate users interact with pages containing these stored scripts, the malicious code executes within their browser context, potentially enabling attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims. This type of vulnerability directly violates security principles outlined in CWE-79 which addresses cross-site scripting flaws and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to the AEM environment, potentially escalating privileges and accessing sensitive configuration data or user credentials.
The operational implications of this vulnerability are particularly concerning given AEM's role in managing enterprise digital assets and user access controls. Attackers exploiting this flaw could gain unauthorized access to content management features, potentially modifying or deleting critical digital assets. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that even after the initial injection, the malicious code remains active and can be triggered whenever users access affected pages. This persistence characteristic significantly increases the attack surface and makes detection more challenging. Organizations utilizing AEM for customer-facing applications face heightened risk of data exfiltration, as attackers can capture user inputs, session cookies, and other sensitive information. The vulnerability affects both content editors and end-users who interact with form-based interfaces within the AEM platform. Security teams must consider that this vulnerability can be exploited through multiple vectors including user registration forms, comment sections, or any input fields where user data is stored and subsequently rendered. The attack chain typically begins with an attacker identifying accessible form fields within the AEM interface, crafting malicious payloads that bypass input validation, and then injecting these payloads through legitimate user interactions. Once successful, the stored scripts execute in the context of authenticated users, potentially enabling privilege escalation attacks against the AEM system. The vulnerability's impact is amplified when considering that AEM often integrates with other enterprise systems, making it a potential gateway for lateral movement within organizational networks. Organizations should also consider the regulatory implications of such vulnerabilities, particularly when AEM systems handle personally identifiable information or other sensitive data requiring compliance with standards such as gdpr, hipaa, or pci dss. The vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the AEM platform, potentially leading to service disruption, data breaches, or unauthorized system access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected AEM versions to the latest security releases. Organizations must implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious scripts from being stored or executed within the application. The security architecture should incorporate automated sanitization of user inputs at multiple layers, including both client-side and server-side validation. Security teams should conduct thorough penetration testing to identify all potential entry points where user inputs are stored and rendered. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of AEM systems to untrusted networks. Regular security monitoring and log analysis should be enhanced to detect anomalous user behavior or unusual input patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should implement web application firewalls with rules specifically designed to detect and block XSS attack patterns targeting AEM components. The implementation of content security policies and secure coding practices should be enforced throughout the development lifecycle for AEM customizations and extensions. Security awareness training for content managers and administrators should be conducted to educate them about recognizing potential XSS attack vectors. Regular vulnerability assessments should be performed to identify similar flaws in other components of the digital experience platform. Incident response procedures should be updated to include specific protocols for handling XSS-related security events. Organizations should also consider implementing automated security scanning tools that can identify stored XSS vulnerabilities in their AEM implementations. The mitigation approach must account for the fact that AEM environments often contain complex custom code and third-party integrations that may introduce additional attack vectors beyond the base platform vulnerability. Regular security updates and patch management processes should be established to ensure timely remediation of identified vulnerabilities. The security posture should be continuously monitored and improved through regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to maintain protection against evolving attack techniques targeting AEM environments.