CVE-2024-36172 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 06/13/2024
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.20 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 • 03/23/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.20 and earlier contain a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a significant threat to web application security. This vulnerability resides within the form handling mechanisms of the platform, where user input is not properly sanitized before being stored and subsequently rendered back to users. The flaw allows attackers to inject malicious javascript code into form fields that persist in the application's database, making it a stored XSS vulnerability rather than a reflected one. When victims navigate to pages containing these malicious inputs, the injected scripts execute within their browser context, potentially compromising user sessions and data confidentiality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the AEM form processing pipeline. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious payloads that bypass existing security controls, typically leveraging HTML and javascript elements that are not properly escaped or filtered during the storage phase. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the widespread use of AEM for content management and digital experience platforms, where form data often contains sensitive user information and business-critical data. According to CWE-79, this represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw that occurs when untrusted data is incorporated into web pages without proper sanitization, while the ATT&CK framework categorizes this under T1531 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation and T1566 Initial Access through the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability extend beyond simple script execution, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even inject additional malicious payloads that could compromise the entire web application. The persistent nature of stored XSS means that the malicious code remains active until explicitly removed from the database, allowing attackers to maintain long-term access to victim systems. Organizations using these vulnerable versions face significant risks including data breaches, unauthorized access to user accounts, and potential compromise of corporate networks through user-based attacks. The vulnerability affects both administrator and end-user interfaces, making it particularly dangerous as it could be exploited against privileged users with elevated system access. Security teams must prioritize patching this vulnerability as it provides attackers with a direct path to execute arbitrary code in user browsers, potentially leading to complete system compromise through advanced persistent threats.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of Adobe's security patches for AEM 6.5.20 and earlier versions, alongside comprehensive input validation and output encoding measures that follow OWASP secure coding practices. Organizations should implement content security policies, regularly audit form inputs for malicious content, and conduct thorough penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities within their web applications. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts through anomalous traffic patterns or unusual script execution behaviors. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security controls and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against both known and emerging threats in modern web applications.