CVE-2026-48261 in Experience Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 07/14/2026
Adobe Experience Manager is affected by a DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. An 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 crafted webpage. Scope is changed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2026
Adobe Experience Manager contains a dom-based cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious javascript code into the victim's browser environment through manipulation of the document object model. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws where input data is improperly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. The attack vector requires user interaction as victims must visit a specially crafted webpage containing the malicious payload, making this a client-side exploitation scenario rather than a server-side vulnerability. The DOM-based nature of this flaw means that the malicious script is executed within the victim's browser context without any server-side processing, leveraging the browser's interpretation of dynamic content to inject harmful code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking as it can enable attackers to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users within the AEM environment. This includes potential privilege escalation and access to sensitive administrative functions through manipulation of the DOM structure that AEM uses for its user interface elements and dynamic content rendering. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to modify content, create malicious workflows, or establish persistent backdoors within the AEM platform. The scope change mentioned in the description indicates that this vulnerability affects a broader range of components than initially identified, potentially impacting multiple modules or interfaces within the AEM ecosystem.
Security professionals should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious scripts from executing within the DOM environment. The mitigation strategy must include proper sanitization of all user-controllable data passed through URL parameters or other client-side inputs that influence DOM behavior. Organizations should also consider implementing content security policies and strict browser security controls to limit script execution capabilities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 which covers scripting languages and T1203 which addresses exploitation for privilege escalation through web application vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments of AEM applications should include thorough testing of DOM manipulation points and user input handling mechanisms to identify potential injection vectors before they can be exploited by malicious actors.