CVE-2025-46954 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 version 6.5.22 and earlier contains a 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, specifically classified as a stored XSS flaw that allows attackers to inject malicious code into form fields that are subsequently stored and executed when other users access the affected pages. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the form handling components of the AEM platform, creating an attack surface where malicious scripts can persist and propagate through user interactions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with a persistent vector for various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. Attackers with low privilege access can exploit this vulnerability by submitting malicious payloads through form fields, which are then stored in the application's database or content repository. When other users browse to pages containing these vulnerable fields, their browsers execute the injected JavaScript code within their security context, potentially compromising their sessions and enabling further attacks. This stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious scripts remain active until manually removed, providing attackers with extended persistence opportunities.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for "Modify Existing Service" and T1566 for "Phishing", as attackers can leverage the platform's legitimate form handling to deliver malicious payloads. The attack surface includes any form field within AEM that accepts user input without proper sanitization, particularly affecting content editors, administrators, and end users who interact with published content. Organizations using AEM for user-generated content, contact forms, comment systems, or any interactive components are at risk, as these features typically store user input in the repository.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected AEM versions to address the root cause through proper input validation and output encoding implementations. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization processes that filter or escape special characters in form submissions, particularly targeting common XSS attack patterns including script tags, event handlers, and encoded payloads. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense in depth, while regular security assessments should validate that all form fields properly handle potentially malicious input. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious form submissions and regular audit trails of content modifications to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices in enterprise content management systems and highlights the need for robust input validation mechanisms across all user-facing application components.