CVE-2025-47031 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 and web content publishing. The platform serves as a central hub for creating, managing, and delivering digital content across multiple channels while providing robust user management and workflow capabilities. Organizations rely heavily on AEM for their digital presence, making it a prime target for sophisticated attack vectors that could compromise entire digital ecosystems. The vulnerability under examination affects versions 6.5.22 and earlier, indicating a significant portion of deployed instances remain at risk, particularly given the extended support lifecycle for these versions.
The stored cross-site scripting vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within AEM's form processing components. Attackers with low privilege access can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious JavaScript code into form fields that are subsequently stored in the system's database. When other users navigate to pages containing these vulnerable fields, the malicious scripts execute within their browser context, potentially compromising user sessions, stealing sensitive information, or redirecting users to malicious sites. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. The stored nature of this vulnerability means the malicious payload persists in the system and affects multiple users over time rather than requiring immediate exploitation during form submission.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation attacks. Low privilege attackers who gain access to AEM through legitimate means can leverage this vulnerability to escalate their privileges within the system or exploit other connected applications that share authentication mechanisms. The attack surface expands significantly when considering that AEM often integrates with other enterprise systems, potentially allowing attackers to use this initial foothold to compromise broader network infrastructure. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which focuses on credential access through web application attacks, and T1059 which covers command and control through scripting languages. The persistence of stored XSS makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can remain undetected for extended periods while continuously compromising user sessions.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including input sanitization, output encoding, and strict content validation for all form fields within AEM instances. The recommended approach involves upgrading to patched versions of Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.23 or later, which contain proper input validation mechanisms and enhanced security controls. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls with XSS detection capabilities and establishing regular security scanning procedures can provide additional layers of protection. Security teams should conduct thorough audits of all AEM instances to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities within custom components and third-party integrations. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect enterprise content management systems from sophisticated attack vectors that could compromise entire digital infrastructures.