CVE-2025-46948 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.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
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 JavaScript code into form fields that persist in the application's database. This vulnerability resides in the content management system's handling of user input within form elements, where insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms fail to properly sanitize malicious payloads. The flaw enables attackers to craft scripts that execute automatically in the browsers of unsuspecting users who view pages containing the compromised form fields, creating a persistent threat vector that can affect multiple users over time. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that once injected, the malicious code remains active until manually removed from the system, making it particularly dangerous for content management environments where multiple users interact with shared forms and data fields.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user-submitted content within AEM's form processing pipeline, where input validation occurs too late in the processing cycle or fails to adequately filter potentially dangerous characters and script tags. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious payloads through form fields that are subsequently stored in the repository without proper encoding or validation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and demonstrates how insufficient input sanitization creates persistent security risks. When victims navigate to pages containing the compromised form data, their browsers execute the injected JavaScript code within the context of their authenticated session, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or other malicious activities. The low privilege requirement for exploitation makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations that rely on AEM for content management and user interaction.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform actions that compromise the integrity of the entire content management ecosystem. Malicious scripts could redirect users to phishing sites, steal session cookies, modify content in real-time, or even escalate privileges within the application's user management system. The persistent nature of stored XSS means that attackers can maintain access and continue to exploit users over extended periods without requiring repeated injection attempts. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations using AEM for customer-facing applications, user registration forms, comment systems, or any interface where user-generated content is stored and subsequently displayed. The attack surface includes not only public-facing websites but also internal collaboration tools and administrative interfaces that utilize AEM's form handling capabilities.
Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation through Adobe's official security patches and updates for affected AEM versions, while implementing additional defensive measures such as input validation at multiple layers including client-side and server-side filtering. Network-based solutions including web application firewalls and content filtering systems can provide additional protection against known attack patterns, though these should not replace proper application-level fixes. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of all form fields and user input areas within AEM implementations to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities, while implementing proper output encoding for all dynamic content. The remediation process must include thorough testing to ensure that security measures do not negatively impact legitimate user functionality, particularly in complex AEM environments where rich content and dynamic forms are common. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be implemented to identify additional vulnerabilities in the content management infrastructure. Organizations should also establish incident response procedures specifically designed to handle XSS vulnerabilities, including user notification protocols and automated monitoring for suspicious content injection patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.