CVE-2025-46865 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 versions 6.5.22 and earlier contain a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a significant security risk for organizations relying on this content management platform. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category for cross-site scripting flaws, specifically manifesting as a stored XSS attack vector that allows malicious actors to inject persistent malicious scripts into form fields within the AEM interface. The flaw enables attackers with low privilege access levels to compromise the application's security posture by exploiting the lack of proper input validation and output sanitization mechanisms in the form handling components.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious user with limited access privileges submits crafted malicious input into form fields that are subsequently stored and displayed without adequate sanitization. When other users browse to pages containing these vulnerable fields, their browsers execute the injected JavaScript code within their context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the victim's browser environment. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious payload persists in the application's database or storage mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users over extended periods without requiring repeated exploitation attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive organizational data and user sessions within the AEM environment. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, access restricted content, or perform actions as authenticated users, particularly if the vulnerable forms are used for administrative or user management functions. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1531 for credential access and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage, potentially enabling broader attack chains within the target environment.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability through the application of Adobe's official security patches or updates to versions 6.5.23 or later. Additional mitigations should include implementing robust input validation mechanisms, enabling output encoding for all user-supplied content, and conducting regular security assessments of form handling components. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, while monitoring for unusual form submissions or user behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper input sanitization and output encoding practices in web applications, particularly in content management systems where user-generated content is prevalent and security controls may be insufficiently implemented.