CVE-2025-46952 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 JavaScript code into form fields that persist on the server. This vulnerability resides in the content management system's handling of user input within form elements, where insufficient output encoding and validation mechanisms fail to properly sanitize malicious payloads. The flaw enables attackers to craft malicious scripts that execute in the context of legitimate users' browsers when they view pages containing the compromised form fields, creating a persistent threat vector that can affect multiple users over time.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within AEM's form processing components. When users submit data through web forms, the system fails to properly sanitize or encode special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This weakness allows attackers to inject script tags, event handlers, or other malicious code that gets stored in the database and subsequently rendered in subsequent page views. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that once injected, the malicious code remains active until manually removed, making it particularly dangerous for long-term exploitation.
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 redirection to malicious domains. An attacker with access to form fields can potentially steal session cookies from authenticated users, leading to privilege escalation and unauthorized access to sensitive content management features. The vulnerability's low privilege requirement makes it particularly concerning as it can be exploited by users with minimal access rights, potentially allowing them to escalate their privileges or gain access to restricted administrative functions. This threat is further amplified by the widespread use of Adobe Experience Manager in enterprise environments where the CMS often contains sensitive business data and user information.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability, beginning with immediate patching of affected AEM versions to the latest releases that contain proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations must also deploy web application firewalls with XSS detection capabilities and implement content security policies to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts. Regular security testing including automated vulnerability scanning and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues in custom form implementations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, highlighting the need for comprehensive application security controls including input validation, output encoding, and regular security assessments to prevent successful exploitation attempts.