CVE-2024-52855 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 • 02/18/2025
Adobe Experience Manager represents a comprehensive content management platform widely deployed across enterprise environments for digital experience management. The platform serves as a central hub for creating, managing, and delivering digital content across multiple channels while providing robust authoring capabilities and integration frameworks. Organizations rely heavily on AEM for their digital presence, making it a prime target for sophisticated cyber attacks that could compromise entire digital ecosystems.
The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.21 and earlier stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the platform's form processing components. This flaw specifically affects how the system handles user-supplied data submitted through web forms, failing to properly sanitize or escape malicious script content before storing and rendering it within the application interface. The vulnerability manifests when attackers craft malicious payloads that exploit the lack of proper security controls in the content rendering pipeline, allowing them to inject persistent script code that executes in the context of other users' browsers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, representing a significant threat to organizational security posture and user privacy. When exploited, the stored XSS attack enables attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within victims' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation. The persistent nature of stored XSS means that malicious scripts remain embedded within the application's data stores, continuously affecting any user who views the compromised content. This creates a sustained threat vector that can persist even after the initial attack window has passed, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where AEM systems handle sensitive business data and user information.
Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through various vectors including malicious form submissions, compromised user accounts, or by exploiting other initial access points to inject malicious payloads into AEM form fields. The threat landscape for such vulnerabilities aligns with attack patterns documented in the mitre ATT&CK framework under the technique of web application attacks, specifically targeting the execution and privilege escalation phases. Organizations implementing AEM systems should consider the broader implications of this vulnerability within their security architecture, as it may indicate weaknesses in input validation processes that could affect other components of the platform.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate remediation efforts including applying the latest patches and updates from Adobe, implementing additional input validation controls, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of AEM implementations. Organizations should also consider deploying web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input sanitization and output encoding practices, aligning with CWE 79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications. Regular security testing and vulnerability assessments should be integrated into the development lifecycle to prevent similar issues from emerging in future implementations.
The vulnerability highlights the necessity of maintaining up-to-date security practices and proper application hardening measures within enterprise content management systems. Organizations should establish robust security monitoring procedures to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts, while also implementing proper access controls and user authentication mechanisms to limit the potential impact of such attacks. This incident underscores the critical role of continuous security maintenance and the importance of staying current with vendor security advisories and patch management processes.