CVE-2024-36199 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 presents a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in versions 6.5.20 and earlier, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts into form fields that persist and execute when victims access the affected pages. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the AEM form processing components, creating a persistent security gap where user-supplied data is not properly sanitized before being rendered back to users. The flaw specifically affects the handling of form field data within the AEM authoring environment, where malicious payloads can be stored and subsequently executed in the context of a victim's browser session.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the failure to properly escape or encode user input before it is stored in the repository and subsequently rendered in web pages. When AEM processes form submissions containing malicious script code, the system does not adequately sanitize the data, allowing JavaScript payloads to be stored in the content repository. This stored data is then served back to users without proper contextual encoding, creating an ideal environment for XSS attacks. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the application level rather than through network-based attacks, making it more difficult to detect and prevent through traditional network security measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. Attackers can craft payloads that exploit the stored XSS to steal user sessions, redirect victims to malicious sites, or even execute more sophisticated attacks such as browser exploitation techniques. The persistent nature of the vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, it will continue to affect all users who access the vulnerable page until the malicious content is removed or the system is patched. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where AEM is used for content management and user interaction.
Organizations utilizing Adobe Experience Manager must implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Adobe, implementing robust input validation and output encoding controls, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of all form-based components. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls, content security policies, and regular security scanning to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should establish proper input sanitization procedures and ensure that all user-supplied data is properly escaped before being stored or rendered in web contexts to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other components of the system.