CVE-2025-47021 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 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. This particular vulnerability affects versions 6.5.22 and earlier, indicating a significant portion of deployed instances remain at risk. The stored XSS vulnerability emerges from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the form processing components of the application. Attackers exploiting this flaw can inject malicious JavaScript code into form fields that persist in the application's database, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users over time.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to properly sanitize user inputs before storing them in the database and subsequently rendering them in web pages. When users browse to pages containing the vulnerable form fields, the stored malicious scripts execute in the context of the victim's browser session. This creates a persistent threat vector where attackers can establish footholds that survive application restarts or user sessions. The vulnerability specifically targets form fields that accept user input, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently interact with content management forms, authoring tools, or user submission interfaces. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious code remains embedded in the application's data stores, potentially affecting any user who accesses the compromised content.
Operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities within the victim's browser context. Attackers could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, modify content displayed to other users, or even escalate privileges within the application. The low privilege requirement for exploitation makes this vulnerability particularly concerning, as it can be leveraged by attackers with minimal access rights to the system. Organizations may experience data corruption, unauthorized content modification, and potential credential theft. The vulnerability also poses risks to user privacy and application integrity, as malicious scripts can access sensitive information and manipulate user interactions with the platform.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected Adobe Experience Manager instances to version 6.5.23 or later, which contain the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging. Web application firewalls should be configured to detect and block suspicious script patterns in form submissions. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify potential injection points within the application. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which classifies improper input handling as a fundamental security weakness. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, indicating the potential for command execution through script injection. Additionally, the vulnerability could enable T1566.001 - Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment, as attackers might use the XSS to redirect users to malicious payloads. Organizations should also consider implementing content security policies and strict access controls to limit the potential damage from successful exploitation attempts.