CVE-2025-47061 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 07/24/2025
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 • 07/24/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.22 and earlier contain a critical stored 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 and specifically affects the form handling functionality within the AEM interface. The flaw enables attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into form fields that are subsequently stored and rendered back to users without proper sanitization or output encoding. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privileges to exploit, making it accessible to low-privileged attackers who may have limited access to the system but can still manipulate content through form submissions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker submits malicious script content through a vulnerable form field within the AEM interface. This script is then stored in the system's database or content repository and executed whenever another user views the page containing the compromised form field. The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability means that the malicious payload persists and can affect multiple users over time, unlike reflected XSS attacks that require specific user interactions. The vulnerability impacts the browser's security model by allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of the victim's browser session, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered simply by navigating to a page containing the compromised content, requiring no additional user interaction beyond normal browsing behavior.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate script execution, as it can serve as a foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the target environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access, steal user credentials, or manipulate content to perform phishing attacks against other users. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the AEM system, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive content management features and user data. Organizations using affected AEM versions face significant risk of data breaches, content tampering, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure. The vulnerability also impacts the trust relationship between the organization and its users, as compromised content could be used to spread malware or conduct social engineering campaigns. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability could result in violations of data protection regulations and security standards that require proper input validation and output encoding.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Adobe, implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and conducting thorough security reviews of all form handling components within the AEM environment. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through phishing and T1059.007 for script execution through web shells. Additional protective measures include implementing content security policies, disabling unnecessary form fields, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script payloads before they can be stored and executed. Regular security training for administrators and developers is essential to prevent improper input handling and to ensure proper security practices are followed throughout the development and deployment lifecycle. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input sanitization and output encoding in web applications, as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and other industry security standards.