CVE-2025-46946 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 presents a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in versions 6.5.22 and earlier, allowing low-privileged attackers to inject malicious scripts into form fields that persist in the application's database. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, specifically manifesting as a stored XSS flaw where attacker-controlled content is permanently stored and later executed in victims' browsers. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms within the AEM form processing components, which fail to properly validate or escape user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious JavaScript payloads through form fields that are subsequently stored in the AEM repository, creating a persistent threat vector that remains active until the vulnerable data is removed or the application is updated.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with a foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the target environment. When victims browse to pages containing the stored malicious content, their browsers execute the injected JavaScript code, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 - Account Access Removal and T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers can leverage the XSS to establish persistent access or escalate privileges within the AEM environment. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that even users with legitimate access to the application can become victims, as the malicious code executes automatically when they interact with the compromised form fields. This creates a particularly dangerous scenario where the attack surface expands beyond the initial compromised user to include all other users who encounter the malicious content.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term prevention measures. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.23 or later, which contain the necessary patches to prevent the injection of untrusted content into form fields. Additionally, implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding controls, such as those recommended in the OWASP Top Ten, can significantly reduce the risk of similar vulnerabilities. Security teams should also deploy web application firewalls with XSS detection capabilities and establish regular security scanning procedures to identify potentially vulnerable form fields. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper sanitization of user inputs through libraries like OWASP Java HTML Sanitizer can provide additional layers of defense. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of all form-based input mechanisms within their AEM instances and establish strict access controls for form management features to limit the potential attack surface. Regular security training for developers on secure coding practices and input validation techniques is essential to prevent future occurrences of similar vulnerabilities.