CVE-2024-36174 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 represents a comprehensive digital experience platform that enables organizations to create, manage, and deliver personalized web content across multiple channels. The platform serves as a critical component in enterprise digital strategies, handling sensitive user data through various form interactions and content management functionalities. When vulnerabilities exist within such foundational systems, the potential impact extends far beyond simple script execution, affecting entire organizational security postures and user trust frameworks.
The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.20 and earlier stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the platform's form processing components. This flaw specifically affects form fields where user input is persisted and subsequently rendered without proper sanitization, creating an environment where malicious actors can inject persistent JavaScript payloads. The vulnerability manifests when attackers submit malicious script code through form fields that are later displayed to other users without appropriate security filtering. This represents a classic stored XSS attack pattern where the malicious payload is stored on the server and executed when legitimate users access the affected content, making it particularly dangerous for widespread impact.
The operational implications of this vulnerability extend significantly beyond traditional web application security concerns. An attacker exploiting this flaw could potentially execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of a victim's browser session, enabling a range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations using AEM for customer data collection, user registration, and interactive content management, where the stored nature of the attack means that every user who accesses the compromised form fields becomes a potential victim. This creates a persistent threat vector that remains active until the vulnerability is patched, potentially exposing all user interactions within the affected system components.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies that include immediate patching of affected AEM instances to version 6.5.21 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Additionally, implementing strict input validation mechanisms and output encoding policies within form processing components can provide defense-in-depth measures. Security teams should also consider deploying web application firewalls and content security policies to detect and block suspicious script execution patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a significant concern under ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content, making it a critical priority for enterprise security operations. Organizations utilizing AEM should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their form-based applications and implement regular security testing to identify similar stored XSS vulnerabilities in other components of their digital infrastructure.