CVE-2025-46863 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 • 06/11/2025
Adobe Experience Manager represents a comprehensive digital experience platform that serves as a cornerstone for enterprise content management and digital marketing operations. The platform's architecture includes numerous form-based interfaces and content editing capabilities that allow users to input and manage various types of data. These form fields are integral to the platform's functionality, enabling content creators and administrators to build dynamic web experiences. The vulnerability exists within the input sanitization mechanisms of these form processing components, creating a critical security gap that affects all versions up to and including 6.5.22. This exposure occurs because the platform fails to properly validate and escape user-supplied data before rendering it back to the browser, creating an environment where malicious scripts can persist and execute.
The technical flaw manifests as a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that operates through user input fields within the AEM interface. When a low-privileged attacker submits malicious JavaScript code through any vulnerable form field, the platform stores this content without adequate sanitization or encoding. The vulnerability specifically targets the platform's content rendering pipeline where user input is directly incorporated into HTML output without proper context-aware escaping. This flaw allows attackers to inject scripts that execute in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially compromising session tokens, accessing sensitive data, or performing unauthorized actions. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious payload persists in the database and executes every time the affected page is rendered, making it particularly dangerous for content that is frequently accessed or displayed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, representing a significant threat to enterprise security infrastructure. Low-privileged attackers who gain access to AEM through legitimate means can escalate their privileges by exploiting this vulnerability to access higher-privilege accounts or sensitive content management functions. The vulnerability creates persistent backdoors within the platform that can be leveraged for data exfiltration, content manipulation, or establishment of persistent access points. Organizations using AEM for critical digital experiences face potential exposure of confidential customer data, intellectual property, and business-critical content. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that AEM is often integrated with other enterprise systems, potentially allowing attackers to use this vulnerability as a stepping stone for broader network compromise. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in input validation and output encoding mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention and comprehensive implementation across all affected systems. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager version 6.5.23 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the stored XSS vulnerability. Until the upgrade is complete, administrators should implement additional defensive measures including enhanced input validation, strict content filtering, and comprehensive monitoring of form submissions. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional protection against script execution, while regular security scanning of form fields and user inputs should be conducted. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls with rules specifically designed to detect and block XSS attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's persistence and privilege escalation techniques. Regular security training for content administrators and developers is essential to prevent social engineering attacks that could lead to exploitation of this vulnerability.