CVE-2025-46845 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 06/11/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.22 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 • 06/13/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.22 and earlier contain a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a significant security risk for organizations relying on this platform for content management and digital experience delivery. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting and specifically manifests as a stored XSS flaw that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into form fields within the application's user interface. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. Attackers with low privileged access can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious payloads through form fields that are subsequently stored in the application's database or content repository. When other users browse to pages containing these vulnerable form fields, their browsers execute the injected JavaScript code within the context of their authenticated sessions, potentially leading to complete account compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive organizational data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it creates a persistent attack vector that can be leveraged for various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. An attacker could craft payloads that steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even establish persistent backdoors within the application environment. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that once a malicious script is injected, it remains active until manually removed by administrators, creating a long-term risk for affected organizations. This vulnerability particularly impacts organizations using Adobe Experience Manager for customer-facing applications, marketing automation, or content management systems where user input is frequently processed and displayed. The low privilege requirement for exploitation makes this vulnerability especially dangerous as it can be abused by users with minimal access rights, potentially escalating to more serious security incidents through lateral movement within the application environment. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1531 (Run-time Application Shielding) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript), as it enables attackers to execute malicious code in the victim's browser environment and leverage the application's legitimate functionality to deliver payloads.
Organizations affected by CVE-2025-46845 should immediately implement multiple layers of defense to protect their Adobe Experience Manager installations. The primary mitigation strategy involves applying the latest security patches and updates provided by Adobe, which typically include enhanced input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Administrators should also implement strict content validation policies that sanitize all user inputs before storage, particularly focusing on form fields and content editing interfaces. Input filtering should be implemented at multiple levels including client-side validation, server-side sanitization, and database-level content verification to ensure that malicious scripts cannot be stored or executed. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts even if a vulnerability is exploited. Regular security monitoring and log analysis should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of form submissions that may indicate attempted exploitation. Network segmentation and privileged access controls should be reviewed to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input sanitization and output encoding practices, aligning with security best practices outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines. Organizations should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify other potential XSS vulnerabilities within their Adobe Experience Manager implementations and related web applications.