CVE-2025-46966 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 versions 6.5.22 and earlier contain a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability classified as CVE-2025-46966 that represents a significant security risk to organizations relying on this content management platform. This vulnerability resides in the form handling mechanisms of the application where user input is not properly sanitized before being stored and subsequently rendered back to users. The flaw allows a low privileged attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code into form fields that are subsequently stored within the application's database. When other users navigate to pages containing these vulnerable form fields, the stored malicious scripts execute within their browser context, creating a persistent threat vector that can affect multiple victims over time. The vulnerability specifically impacts the server-side processing of form data where input validation and output encoding mechanisms fail to adequately protect against malicious payloads. This stored XSS vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding, making it particularly dangerous as the malicious code persists even after the initial injection point. The attack surface is expanded by the fact that this vulnerability affects form fields that may be accessible to various user roles, including those with limited privileges, which means that even users with minimal permissions can potentially compromise the entire application environment. The operational impact extends beyond simple script execution as the malicious code can be used to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, redirect victims to malicious sites, or even establish persistent backdoors within the application. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation attacks that could ultimately lead to full system compromise. The persistence of stored XSS makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous compared to reflected XSS variants, as the malicious code remains active until manually removed from the application's data stores. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which covers "Modify System Firmware", but more specifically relates to T1566 which covers "Phishing", as the malicious scripts can be used to harvest credentials and other sensitive information from unsuspecting users. Organizations using Adobe Experience Manager must urgently implement mitigations including input sanitization, output encoding, and strict content validation mechanisms. The recommended approach involves implementing comprehensive HTML sanitization libraries, enforcing strict input validation rules, and ensuring that all user-supplied content is properly encoded before rendering in the browser. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls, monitoring for suspicious input patterns, and conducting regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in their application code. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and output encoding in preventing persistent security flaws that can affect multiple users over extended periods.