CVE-2024-52836 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 12/11/2024
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.21 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 • 02/19/2025
Adobe Experience Manager suffers from a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into form fields within the CMS platform. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 6.5.21, creating a persistent threat vector that can compromise user sessions and execute unauthorized commands. The flaw resides in how the system processes and stores user input within form fields without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms, enabling attackers to craft malicious payloads that persist in the database and execute when other users view the affected content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a standard XSS attack pattern where an attacker submits crafted malicious input through form fields that are subsequently stored in the AEM database. When legitimate users browse to pages containing these vulnerable fields, their browsers execute the injected JavaScript code within the context of their current session. This stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious payload remains persistent and can affect multiple users over time, unlike reflected XSS attacks that require specific user interaction with malicious links. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be classified as a CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation into a Web Browser, which represents one of the most common and dangerous web application security flaws.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive credentials, manipulate user interfaces, and potentially escalate privileges within the AEM environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create persistent backdoors in the CMS, modify content without detection, or even establish command and control channels through the compromised application. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that AEM is commonly used for enterprise content management and digital experience platforms, making it a valuable target for threat actors seeking to compromise large organizations. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531: Account Access Removal and T1071.001: Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols, as it enables unauthorized access to user sessions and web application manipulation.
Organizations should immediately implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability, beginning with applying the official Adobe security patches and updates released for this CVE. Input validation and output encoding should be strengthened throughout the AEM application, particularly in form handling components and user input fields. Implementing Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular security scanning and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous behavior related to form submissions and content modifications. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of regular security assessments and adherence to secure coding practices, as the flaw represents a failure in proper input sanitization that could have been prevented through defensive programming techniques. Organizations should also consider implementing Web Application Firewall rules specifically targeting XSS patterns and establish incident response procedures to quickly address any exploitation attempts.