CVE-2024-26084 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 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. This particular vulnerability affects versions 6.5.19 and earlier, which have been extensively adopted by organizations seeking robust content management capabilities. The security implications are particularly concerning given AEM's role in handling sensitive business data and its integration with various enterprise systems. Organizations utilizing these older versions face significant risk exposure due to the nature of the vulnerability and the platform's widespread deployment.
The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the form processing components of Adobe Experience Manager. When users submit data through vulnerable form fields, the system fails to properly sanitize the input before storing it in the database or rendering it in subsequent web pages. This allows malicious actors to inject malicious JavaScript code directly into form fields that are subsequently displayed to other users. The vulnerability specifically affects the handling of user-supplied data within form contexts, where the application does not adequately distinguish between legitimate content and potentially harmful script payloads. The flaw operates at the application layer where user input is processed and rendered, creating a persistent XSS vector that can affect multiple users who view the compromised content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, representing a critical threat to enterprise security infrastructure. When successful, attackers can execute malicious JavaScript in victim browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, and privilege escalation within the AEM environment. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, it will persist and affect all users who access the vulnerable page, creating a continuous threat vector. This vulnerability can be exploited to bypass security controls and gain unauthorized access to sensitive content management features, potentially allowing attackers to modify or delete content, create new user accounts, or escalate their privileges within the system. The impact is particularly severe in environments where AEM is used for managing sensitive corporate data, customer information, or regulatory compliance content.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager version 6.5.20 or later, which includes patches addressing the XSS vulnerability. Additionally, implementing strict input validation and output encoding measures can provide temporary protection while upgrades are pending. Security teams should conduct thorough assessments of all form-based inputs within their AEM implementations and establish monitoring procedures for suspicious content submissions. The mitigation approach should align with industry standards such as CWE-79 for cross-site scripting vulnerabilities and follow ATT&CK framework techniques related to client-side attacks and credential access. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, while regular security testing and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar issues in other components of the digital experience platform.