CVE-2025-46974 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 platform for content management and digital experience delivery. 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 scripts into form fields within the AEM interface. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. Attackers with low privilege access can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious payloads through vulnerable form fields, which are then stored in the application's database or content repository. When other users navigate to pages containing these stored malicious scripts, the injected JavaScript code executes in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the victim's system. The stored nature of this vulnerability makes it particularly dangerous as the malicious code persists and can affect multiple users over time without requiring repeated exploitation attempts. This flaw directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of user data within the AEM environment, as it provides an attack vector for executing arbitrary code in the context of authenticated users' browsers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities through the compromised user sessions. According to ATT&CK framework tactics, this vulnerability can be leveraged for initial access and privilege escalation, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive content management features and potentially escalate their privileges within the AEM system. The vulnerability's low privilege requirement means that even users with minimal access rights can potentially compromise the entire system, making it particularly concerning for organizations that do not properly enforce least privilege principles. Attackers can craft payloads that steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or even inject additional malicious scripts that can persist across multiple sessions. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of AEM's content management capabilities, potentially compromising the integrity of digital experiences and web content that users expect to be secure and trustworthy. Organizations using AEM in production environments face significant risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive corporate information, especially when the platform is used for managing customer data, marketing content, or other sensitive business information.
Mitigation strategies for this stored XSS vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through official Adobe security patches and updates. Organizations must ensure they are running AEM versions 6.5.23 or later, where Adobe has addressed this specific vulnerability through enhanced input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Security teams should implement comprehensive content filtering and sanitization processes that validate all user inputs before storage and properly encode all outputs to prevent script execution. Network segmentation and access controls should be reinforced to limit user privileges and reduce the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues across the entire digital infrastructure. Additionally, organizations should implement web application firewalls and content security policies to add additional layers of protection against XSS attacks. The implementation of proper logging and monitoring mechanisms is crucial for detecting exploitation attempts and responding to potential security incidents. Security awareness training for administrators and developers should emphasize the importance of input validation and output encoding in preventing XSS vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing automated patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of security updates and minimize the window of vulnerability exposure. Regular penetration testing and security code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in custom AEM applications and extensions that may be built on top of the core platform.