CVE-2025-46988 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 presents a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in versions 6.5.22 and earlier, allowing low-privileged attackers to inject malicious scripts into form fields that persist in the application's database. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, specifically manifesting as a stored XSS flaw where user input is not properly sanitized before being rendered back to other users. The attack vector involves an authenticated user with minimal privileges who can manipulate form fields containing script payloads that are then stored server-side and executed when other users view the affected content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when malicious JavaScript code is submitted through form fields that are subsequently displayed without proper input validation or output encoding. When victims browse to pages containing these vulnerable fields, their browsers execute the injected scripts within the context of the victim's session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious payload remains persistent in the application's data store, affecting all users who access the compromised content regardless of when they view it.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges, access sensitive data, or perform unauthorized actions within the AEM environment. Attackers can leverage this flaw to steal user sessions, modify content, or redirect users to phishing sites that appear legitimate within the AEM interface. The low privilege requirement makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by users who should not have elevated access rights, potentially leading to unauthorized modifications of content or access to restricted administrative functions.
Security mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the AEM application. Organizations must ensure that all user-supplied content undergoes strict sanitization before being stored or rendered back to users, utilizing proper context-aware encoding for different output contexts such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper input validation at multiple layers can significantly reduce the attack surface. Additionally, regular security updates and patches from Adobe should be applied immediately upon release, as this vulnerability affects versions up to 6.5.22 and likely earlier versions. Organizations should also implement monitoring and logging of form submissions to detect anomalous behavior patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 - Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment and T1059.001 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic, as the vulnerability enables persistent malicious code execution through web-based interfaces.