CVE-2026-48359
Summary
by MITRE • 07/14/2026
Adobe Experience Manager is affected by an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE') vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. A low-privileged attacker could exploit this vulnerability to read sensitive files, potentially gaining elevated access or control over the victim's account or session. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction. Scope is changed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/14/2026
Adobe Experience Manager suffers from a critical XXE vulnerability classified as CWE-611 that allows attackers to manipulate XML parsing operations and execute arbitrary code within the application's security context. This flaw exists in how AEM processes external entity references in XML documents, creating an opening for malicious actors to exploit without requiring any user interaction or privileged access initially. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of external entity declarations during XML processing, enabling attackers to reference external resources that can be crafted to execute system commands or retrieve sensitive data from the server.
The technical exploitation of this XXE vulnerability enables attackers to perform server-side request forgery attacks by leveraging the application's XML parser to make requests to internal services or external malicious servers. This can result in unauthorized data access, file system traversal, and potentially complete system compromise depending on the privileges of the AEM service account. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as attackers can leverage this weakness to escalate privileges through session hijacking or account takeover scenarios. The vulnerability affects the core XML processing functionality within AEM's content management and web publishing capabilities, particularly impacting features that handle external data imports or document processing.
Security implications of this vulnerability align with ATT&CK technique T1213 which covers data from information repositories, and T1078 which addresses valid accounts usage. Attackers can exploit the XXE flaw to access sensitive configuration files, database credentials, or user session information stored on the server. The lack of user interaction requirement makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through automated scanning tools or during routine system administration tasks. Organizations using AEM versions vulnerable to this issue face potential data breaches, service disruption, and compliance violations that could result in significant financial and reputational damage.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of affected AEM installations to the latest security updates provided by Adobe, implementing strict XML parser configurations that disable external entity resolution, and applying network-level restrictions to prevent unauthorized access to internal resources. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls with XXE detection capabilities and conduct thorough security assessments of their AEM environments to identify potential attack vectors. The vulnerability requires immediate attention as it represents a high-severity risk that can be exploited remotely without authentication, making it particularly attractive to automated exploitation tools commonly found in threat actor toolkits.