CVE-2025-46975 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 6.5.22 and earlier versions 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 scripts into form fields within the AEM interface. The vulnerability occurs when user-supplied data is not properly sanitized before being rendered back to other users, creating a persistent attack vector that can compromise multiple victims over time. The flaw is particularly concerning because it affects the core content management functionality and can be exploited by low privileged users who may not have direct administrative access to the system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to submit malicious JavaScript code through a vulnerable form field within the AEM application. Once submitted and stored in the system, this malicious content becomes persistent and executes whenever other users view the page containing the vulnerable field. The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability means that the malicious script is not limited to a single request but can affect any user who accesses the compromised content, making it particularly dangerous for shared or collaborative environments. This type of vulnerability enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and redirection to malicious websites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable attackers to establish persistent access to user sessions and potentially escalate privileges within the AEM environment. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566.001 for Phishing, as it provides a mechanism for delivering malicious payloads to unsuspecting users. Organizations using AEM 6.5.22 and earlier versions face significant risk of unauthorized data access, potential system compromise, and damage to user trust. The vulnerability can be particularly devastating in enterprise environments where AEM is used for customer-facing applications, internal collaboration platforms, and digital marketing solutions where user interaction with forms is frequent and essential.
Security professionals should immediately implement mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied content within AEM forms, as well as regular security assessments of the platform's configuration. The recommended remediation approach involves upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.23 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed. Additionally, organizations should implement web application firewalls with XSS detection capabilities, conduct regular security testing of AEM applications, and establish proper access controls to limit the ability of low privilege users to submit content that could be exploited. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper content sanitization and input validation in web applications, particularly in CMS platforms where user-generated content is common and the attack surface is extensive. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers and regular security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and ensure comprehensive protection against similar vulnerabilities in the future.