CVE-2025-46920 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 critical 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 of Cross-Site Scripting and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.002 for command and scripting interpreter. The flaw exists in the form handling mechanisms of the platform where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being stored and subsequently rendered back to users. Attackers with low privilege access can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious JavaScript code into form fields that are later displayed to other users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the AEM form processing pipeline. When legitimate users submit data through web forms, the system fails to adequately sanitize the input before storing it in the backend database or content repository. This stored data is then retrieved and rendered without proper HTML escaping or context-aware encoding, creating an environment where malicious scripts can persist and execute in the browsers of unsuspecting victims. The vulnerability specifically affects the rendering of form fields, making it particularly dangerous because the malicious code execution occurs during normal user interactions with the platform.
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 privilege escalation within the application. An attacker could craft payloads that steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even execute additional attacks through the victim's browser context. The low privilege requirement for exploitation makes this vulnerability particularly concerning as it does not require administrative access or advanced technical skills to exploit. This weakness could be leveraged to establish persistent access patterns within the organization's digital infrastructure, potentially leading to broader compromise of the AEM environment and associated systems.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Adobe, implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of all form-based interactions within their AEM deployments. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and proper sanitization techniques as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines. Additional defensive measures should include web application firewall rules to detect and block suspicious input patterns, regular security scanning of form fields, and user education regarding the risks of clicking on unexpected links or content within the AEM environment. Organizations should also consider implementing content security policies and monitoring for unauthorized modifications to form fields to detect potential exploitation attempts.