CVE-2025-47004 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 • 06/16/2025
Adobe Experience Manager represents a comprehensive digital experience platform that serves as a cornerstone for enterprise content management and digital asset delivery. The platform's architecture includes robust form handling capabilities that allow organizations to collect user input through various web interfaces. When examining the stored cross-site scripting vulnerability present in versions 6.5.22 and earlier, it becomes evident that this flaw resides within the form processing and rendering components of the application. The vulnerability specifically targets the sanitization mechanisms employed when handling user-submitted data in form fields, creating a scenario where malicious payloads can persist within the system's database. This stored nature of the vulnerability means that the injected scripts are not limited to a single session or request but remain embedded within the application's data stores, waiting for unsuspecting users to interact with the affected content. The exploitation occurs when a victim accesses a page containing the maliciously injected script, which then executes within their browser context, potentially compromising their session or executing unauthorized actions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the form field processing pipeline. When user data is submitted through forms, the system should properly sanitize and encode all content to prevent malicious scripts from being stored. However, in affected versions, the sanitization routines fail to adequately handle certain character sequences or encoding methods that allow attackers to bypass security controls. This weakness creates a persistent threat vector where attackers can inject malicious JavaScript code that gets stored in the database and subsequently rendered to other users without proper encoding. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic case of stored XSS where the malicious input is saved and later executed. The attack chain begins with a low privileged user submitting malicious content through form fields, which then propagates through the system's content management infrastructure, ultimately executing when other users view the affected pages. This particular vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the principle of least privilege and proper data validation, as the system should not permit potentially harmful content to be stored in the first place.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it creates a potential gateway for more sophisticated attacks within enterprise environments. A successful exploitation could allow attackers to steal user sessions, access sensitive content, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, or even establish persistent backdoors within the digital experience platform. The low privilege requirement for exploitation means that even users with minimal access rights could potentially compromise the system's integrity, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where access controls might not be strictly enforced. Organizations utilizing Adobe Experience Manager for customer data collection, employee forms, or public-facing content management are at risk, as the stored nature of the vulnerability means that any form field could become an attack vector. The impact is amplified when considering that AEM is often used for sensitive applications such as customer relationship management, employee onboarding, or public website content management, where the compromise of form fields could lead to data breaches or unauthorized access to confidential information. This vulnerability also creates challenges for incident response teams, as the malicious scripts may be embedded in various content types and locations throughout the system's content repository.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action to address the root cause through proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager versions that have addressed this vulnerability, as Adobe typically provides security patches and updates to resolve known issues. The implementation of comprehensive content security policies should include strict input sanitization procedures that prevent potentially malicious content from being stored in the system. Web application firewalls and content delivery network configurations can provide additional layers of protection by filtering suspicious content before it reaches the application's core processing components. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify potential injection points within the form handling processes, ensuring that all user-submitted content is properly validated and encoded. The remediation process should also include thorough auditing of existing content to identify any previously injected malicious scripts, as well as implementing automated monitoring systems that can detect anomalous content patterns. Security teams should also consider implementing proper access controls and privilege management to limit the potential impact of compromised accounts, while maintaining detailed logging of form submissions and content modifications to facilitate forensic analysis in case of successful exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the necessity of comprehensive security testing for all components within enterprise digital platforms.