CVE-2025-47001: Stored XSS Vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is a widely used content management system. A recently discovered vulnerability, CVE-2025-47001, poses a significant risk to AEM users. This blog post provides a detailed analysis of the vulnerability, its potential impact, and recommended mitigation steps.
Vulnerability Details
- CVE ID: CVE-2025-47001
- Description: Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.22 and earlier are affected by a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. A low-privileged attacker can inject malicious scripts into vulnerable form fields. When a victim browses to the page containing the vulnerable field, the malicious JavaScript may be executed in their browser.
- CVSS Score: 5.4 (Medium)
- CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
- CVSS Explanation: This vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.4, which is considered medium severity. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), meaning it can be exploited remotely. The attack complexity is low (AC:L), and low privileges are required (PR:L). User interaction is required (UI:R), meaning a user needs to click on a malicious link or interact with the page for the exploit to work. The scope is changed (S:C), indicating that the injected script can execute in a different security context. The confidentiality and integrity impacts are low (C:L/I:L), while availability impact is none (A:N). Essentially, an attacker can inject scripts to steal some user data or deface the page, but not cause a denial of service.
- Exploit Requirements: An attacker needs low-level access to AEM to inject the malicious script. A victim needs to browse to the page containing the injected script.
- Affected Vendor: Adobe
- Affected Product: Adobe Experience Manager
- Affected Version: 6.5.22 and earlier
- CWE: CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Timeline of Events
- 2025-07-30: CVE-2025-47001 Published
- TBD: Patch Available
Exploitability & Real-World Risk
Stored XSS vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because the malicious script is permanently stored on the server. This means that any user who visits the affected page will be exposed to the script. Given the widespread use of Adobe Experience Manager, the potential impact of this vulnerability is significant. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal user credentials, deface websites, or redirect users to malicious sites. Imagine an attacker injecting code into a comment field that then triggers malicious actions for every admin visiting the page.
Recommendations
- Apply the Patch: Adobe has released a patch to address this vulnerability. It is highly recommended that AEM users update to the latest version as soon as possible.
- Input Validation: Implement robust input validation and sanitization to prevent malicious scripts from being injected into form fields.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Utilize a WAF to detect and block malicious requests.
- Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address vulnerabilities proactively.
Technical Insight
The vulnerability exists because Adobe Experience Manager does not properly sanitize user input before storing it in the database. When a user submits data through a form field, the data is stored as is. When the data is later displayed on a page, the browser executes any JavaScript code that is embedded in the data. By injecting malicious JavaScript code, an attacker can execute arbitrary code in the victim's browser. Properly encoding the output before displaying the data would prevent the browser from executing the JavaScript.
Credit to Researcher(s)
Credit to the security researcher(s) who discovered and reported this vulnerability to Adobe.
References
Tags
#CVE-2025-47001 #AdobeExperienceManager #XSS #StoredXSS #SecurityVulnerability #Adobe #AEM
Summary: CVE-2025-47001 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.22 and earlier. It allows a low-privileged attacker to inject malicious scripts into vulnerable form fields, potentially leading to user data theft or website defacement. Immediate patching and robust input validation are highly recommended.
CVE ID: CVE-2025-47001
Risk Analysis: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to: Account compromise through cookie theft, defacement of websites managed by Adobe Experience Manager, redirection of users to phishing sites, or execution of arbitrary code in the user's browser. The impact on businesses using AEM could range from reputational damage to financial losses.
Recommendation: Update Adobe Experience Manager to the latest version to patch the vulnerability. Implement robust input validation and output encoding to prevent XSS attacks. Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to detect and block malicious requests. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address vulnerabilities.
Timeline
- 2025-07-30: CVE-2025-47001 was published by MITRE