CVE-2025-46972 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 • 06/14/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.22 and earlier contain a critical 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 and specifically manifests as a stored XSS flaw that allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into form fields within the AEM interface. The vulnerability's severity is amplified by its accessibility to low privileged attackers, who can exploit it without requiring elevated permissions or advanced technical skills. The attack vector involves submitting malicious script payloads through form fields that are then stored server-side and subsequently executed when other users view the affected pages, creating a persistent threat that can compromise multiple victims over time.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within AEM's form handling components. When users submit data through web forms, the system fails to properly sanitize or encode the input before storing it in the database or rendering it in subsequent web pages. This allows attackers to embed malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the victim's privileges. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, it remains persistent and can affect anyone who views the compromised page, making it particularly dangerous for widely accessed content management systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, creating potential pathways for more sophisticated attacks within the AEM environment. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal administrator credentials, manipulate content, or establish persistent backdoors within the organization's digital infrastructure. The low privilege requirement makes this attack vector particularly concerning for organizations with extensive AEM deployments where multiple users have access to various form fields and content creation capabilities. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Phishing and T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution, as it enables the delivery of malicious payloads through web interfaces that users trust. The vulnerability could also facilitate lateral movement within the organization's network if the compromised AEM system has access to sensitive data or integrated services.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability through the application of Adobe's official security patches and updates. The recommended mitigation strategy includes implementing comprehensive input validation, output encoding, and content security policies to prevent script injection attempts. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of all AEM installations to identify potential variations of this vulnerability and implement web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script payloads. Additionally, organizations should review their user access controls and privilege assignments to minimize the attack surface, as the low privilege requirement makes this vulnerability particularly accessible to internal threat actors or compromised accounts. Regular security monitoring and log analysis should be enhanced to detect unusual form submissions or patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while security awareness training should emphasize the dangers of clicking on suspicious links or submitting untrusted content to web forms within the AEM environment.