CVE-2025-47054 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.22 and earlier are affected by a DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. A low privileged attacker could exploit this issue by manipulating the DOM environment to execute malicious JavaScript within the context of the victim's browser. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must visit a specially crafted web page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/23/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.22 and earlier contain a DOM-based cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a significant security risk for organizations relying on this content management platform. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically manifesting as a DOM-based variant where the malicious payload is executed through manipulation of the Document Object Model rather than traditional input validation bypasses. The flaw occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-controllable data that is subsequently processed within the browser's DOM environment, creating an execution path where attacker-controlled JavaScript code can be injected and executed in the context of a victim's browser session.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires a low privileged attacker to craft a malicious web page that manipulates the DOM environment to inject and execute malicious JavaScript code. This typically involves constructing URLs or web content that, when visited by an authenticated user, triggers the vulnerable code path within the AEM application. The attack vector relies heavily on social engineering and user interaction since victims must actively visit the malicious page for the exploit to succeed. The vulnerability demonstrates a failure in proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms within the AEM platform's JavaScript processing components, allowing attacker-controlled data to flow directly into DOM manipulation functions without adequate security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can potentially enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities within the victim's browser context. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, redirect victims to malicious sites, or even escalate privileges within the AEM environment. The DOM-based nature of the vulnerability means that traditional server-side input validation may not prevent exploitation since the malicious payload is processed client-side. This creates a particularly challenging scenario for security teams as the attack surface includes not just the server-side application logic but also the client-side JavaScript execution environment, making detection and prevention more complex. The vulnerability directly relates to ATT&CK technique T1531 for Account Access Token Manipulation and T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary code within user sessions.
Organizations using affected AEM versions should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of available patches from Adobe, as this vulnerability represents a critical threat to user session integrity and application security. The recommended mitigation strategy includes implementing comprehensive input validation, output encoding, and Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent DOM-based XSS attacks. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their AEM implementations to identify potential attack vectors and ensure that all user-controllable inputs are properly sanitized before being processed within the browser environment. Security teams should also implement monitoring and detection capabilities specifically designed to identify suspicious DOM manipulation patterns and anomalous user behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the necessity of implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against both server-side and client-side attack vectors.