CVE-2025-46982 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 represents a comprehensive content management platform widely deployed across enterprise environments for digital experience management. The platform serves as a central hub for creating, managing, and delivering digital content across multiple channels while providing robust security features for enterprise users. This particular vulnerability affects versions 6.5.22 and earlier, indicating a long-standing issue that has persisted across multiple releases of the software. The affected system components include form handling mechanisms and input validation processes within the AEM interface where user-generated content is processed and stored.
The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output encoding within the form processing pipeline. When users submit data through web forms within the AEM interface, the system fails to properly validate and sanitize the input before storing it in the database or content repository. This allows malicious actors to inject malicious javascript code directly into form fields that are subsequently rendered to other users browsing the affected pages. The vulnerability specifically targets the storage mechanism rather than the immediate execution context, making it particularly dangerous as the malicious code persists and executes whenever the stored content is displayed to legitimate users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities through the victim's browser context. Low privileged attackers who can submit content through forms gain the ability to compromise other users who view the stored content, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The attack vector requires minimal privileges and can be executed through standard form submission processes, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where multiple users interact with shared content management systems. The persistence of the stored script means that even if the initial attack occurs during a specific session, the malicious code continues to affect users until the compromised content is removed or modified.
Security practitioners should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability across their AEM deployments. Immediate remediation efforts should focus on upgrading to patched versions of Adobe Experience Manager, as this represents the most effective long-term solution to address the root cause. Organizations should also implement additional input validation mechanisms at the application level and consider implementing content security policies to prevent script execution in rendered content. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth but should not be considered a substitute for proper application-level fixes. Regular security assessments and input validation reviews should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in custom extensions or third-party integrations that may interact with the AEM platform.