CVE-2024-36201 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 digital content across multiple channels. The platform serves as a central hub for content management, digital asset management, and customer experience orchestration. When examining the stored cross-site scripting vulnerability present in versions 6.5.20 and earlier, it becomes evident that this flaw resides within the platform's form handling mechanisms where user input is not properly sanitized before being stored and subsequently rendered to other users. This vulnerability specifically targets the content management capabilities of AEM where form fields can be manipulated to store malicious JavaScript payloads that persist within the system's database.
The technical implementation of this stored XSS vulnerability occurs when user-supplied data enters the AEM system through form fields that lack adequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious scripts through form inputs that are then stored in the platform's content repository. When other users subsequently view pages containing these vulnerable form fields, the stored JavaScript executes within their browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic failure in the principle of least privilege and proper data sanitization, where the system fails to distinguish between legitimate content and potentially harmful script code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable attackers to compromise entire user sessions and potentially escalate privileges within the AEM environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to sensitive content, modify digital assets, or manipulate user experiences in ways that could damage brand reputation and compromise confidential information. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious payloads can persist for extended periods, making detection and remediation more challenging. Organizations using AEM versions prior to 6.5.20 face significant risk as the vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including email campaigns, web forms, and content management interfaces where user input is accepted.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability effectively. The primary mitigation involves upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager version 6.5.21 or later, which includes proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms that prevent malicious scripts from being stored or executed. Additionally, organizations should implement strict content validation policies that sanitize all user inputs before they are processed by the platform. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular security audits and penetration testing can help identify other potential entry points. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a clear violation of the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to monitor and block suspicious input patterns while maintaining detailed logging of all form submissions for forensic analysis purposes.