CVE-2024-53966 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 02/05/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.21 and earlier are affected by a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability that could be abused by a low privileged 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 • 02/05/2025
Adobe Experience Manager suffers from a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows low privileged attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into form fields within the system. This vulnerability exists in versions 6.5.21 and earlier, creating a persistent threat vector where malicious scripts can be executed whenever victims browse to pages containing the compromised form fields. The flaw represents a significant security weakness in the content management platform's input validation and output sanitization mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user-supplied data within form field inputs. When users submit content through web forms, the system fails to properly validate or escape special characters that could be interpreted as executable code by web browsers. This stored XSS condition means that the malicious payload persists in the application's database or storage layer, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users over time. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and redirection to malicious sites. Low privileged attackers who gain access to form submission capabilities can exploit this weakness to compromise other users who interact with the compromised content. The persistent nature of stored XSS means that the attack surface remains active until the malicious code is removed from the system, potentially affecting thousands of users who view the compromised pages.
Security professionals should immediately implement mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data, especially within form fields and content management areas. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities across the application stack. Organizations should also consider implementing content security policies and web application firewalls to detect and prevent XSS attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input sanitization and output encoding practices, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script injection. Adobe has released patches for this vulnerability, and system administrators must apply these updates promptly to prevent exploitation.