CVE-2025-46874 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 06/11/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.22 and earlier are affected by a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. If a low privileged attacker is able to convince a victim to visit a URL referencing a vulnerable page, malicious JavaScript content may be executed within the context of the victim's browser.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.22 and earlier contain a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a critical security weakness in the platform's input validation mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a fundamental web application security flaw that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The reflected nature of this XSS vulnerability means that malicious code is reflected off the web server back to the victim's browser, typically through URL parameters or form fields that are not properly sanitized or encoded.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities within the victim's browser context. Low privileged attackers who can manipulate URL parameters or convince victims to click on malicious links can potentially steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, redirect victims to phishing sites, or even escalate privileges within the AEM environment. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the core content management functionality of Adobe Experience Manager, which often serves as a central hub for enterprise web applications and digital experiences. This creates a significant attack surface where a single vulnerable endpoint can potentially compromise multiple user sessions and sensitive data within the organization's digital infrastructure.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal privileges and can be accomplished through social engineering techniques that trick users into visiting specifically crafted URLs containing malicious JavaScript payloads. Attackers can leverage this weakness to bypass traditional security controls and directly target end users through their browsers, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where AEM is used for customer-facing applications, internal portals, and digital marketing platforms. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK tactics including initial access through malicious links and execution through script injection, while also potentially enabling privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms. Organizations using these vulnerable AEM versions face increased risk of data breaches, credential theft, and unauthorized access to sensitive corporate information, especially when the platform is integrated with other enterprise systems that rely on proper authentication and authorization mechanisms.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to Adobe Experience Manager versions that address this vulnerability, implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script injection attempts. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all potentially affected endpoints and ensure proper security configuration of AEM instances. The remediation process should include thorough testing to verify that the patch does not introduce compatibility issues with existing AEM features and custom implementations, while also establishing monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, user education and awareness programs should be enhanced to reduce the success rate of social engineering attacks that leverage this vulnerability, particularly in environments where users may encounter suspicious links or content from untrusted sources.