CVE-2025-54251 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 09/09/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.23.0 and earlier are affected by an XML Injection vulnerability that could result in a Security feature bypass. A low-privileged attacker could leverage this vulnerability to manipulate XML queries and gain limited unauthorized write access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2025
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.23.0 and earlier contain a critical XML Injection vulnerability that stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the application's XML processing components. This vulnerability resides in the way the system handles XML data structures, particularly when processing user-supplied input through XML queries and parsing mechanisms. The flaw allows an attacker to inject malicious XML content that can manipulate the intended XML processing flow, potentially enabling unauthorized access to system resources and bypassing security controls designed to restrict data access and modification. The vulnerability specifically affects the XML parsing and query execution functionality that underpins various administrative and content management operations within the AEM platform.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the application processes XML input without proper sanitization, allowing an attacker to inject XML elements that alter the intended behavior of XML queries. This injection can manipulate the XML parser's execution path, potentially enabling an attacker to construct XML payloads that bypass authentication checks or gain access to restricted data modification functions. The vulnerability is classified as a security feature bypass issue because it allows an attacker to circumvent access controls that should normally prevent low-privileged users from performing unauthorized write operations. The attack vector typically involves crafting malicious XML content that exploits the XML processing logic to manipulate the system's intended behavior and gain elevated privileges or access to restricted functionality.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data access manipulation, as it creates opportunities for attackers to perform unauthorized modifications to content, configuration settings, or system parameters within the AEM environment. A low-privileged attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially manipulate XML-based queries to gain write access to system resources, which could lead to content tampering, configuration changes, or even system compromise. The limited nature of the write access suggests that the vulnerability may not enable complete system takeover, but it does provide a foothold for further exploitation and privilege escalation within the application's security boundaries. This vulnerability particularly impacts organizations relying on AEM for content management, digital asset management, and web publishing services where XML processing is integral to core functionality.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability by upgrading to Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.24.0 or later, which contain patches addressing the XML injection flaws in the XML processing components. System administrators should implement additional monitoring of XML processing activities and input validation logging to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should review and strengthen input validation controls for all XML processing pathways, ensuring that user-supplied XML data undergoes proper sanitization and validation before being processed by the application. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-94, which describes improper control of generation of code, and reflects patterns commonly associated with XML injection attacks that can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for data from information repositories, particularly in the context of content management systems where XML processing is fundamental to operations. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their AEM implementations to identify any additional XML processing components that may be vulnerable to similar injection attacks.