CVE-2025-46883 Overview
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) versions 6.5.22 and earlier contain a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability [CWE-79]. A low-privileged attacker can inject malicious JavaScript into vulnerable form fields. The payload executes in the browser of any victim who visits the affected page. The flaw affects both on-premises AEM deployments and the AEM Cloud Service offering. Exploitation requires user interaction and low-level privileges but crosses a security scope, enabling attackers to target higher-privileged users or extract sensitive session data.
Critical Impact
Stored JavaScript payloads persist on AEM pages and execute in victim browsers, enabling session theft, credential harvesting, and content defacement across authenticated sessions.
Affected Products
- Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.22 and earlier (on-premises)
- Adobe Experience Manager Cloud Service
- AEM form field components rendering user-supplied input
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-06-10 - CVE-2025-46883 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-46883
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a stored Cross-Site Scripting flaw in Adobe Experience Manager form components. Input submitted to certain form fields is persisted server-side without adequate output encoding. When the affected page is later rendered, the browser interprets the stored input as executable JavaScript. Because the injected script runs in the origin of the AEM site, it inherits access to session cookies, local storage, and application state accessible to the victim.
The issue crosses a security scope, meaning an attacker with limited authoring privileges can affect users with broader privileges, including editors or administrators who review submitted content. Attack complexity is low and no elevated privileges are required by the attacker to inject the payload.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient output encoding when rendering user-controlled content in vulnerable form fields. AEM stores the raw input and echoes it back into HTML context without neutralizing script-relevant characters such as <, >, and quotation marks. This class of defect is tracked as Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation [CWE-79].
Attack Vector
An authenticated low-privileged attacker submits a crafted payload containing JavaScript through the vulnerable form field. AEM stores the payload in its repository. When any authenticated user browses the affected page, the payload executes in that user's browser session. The attack requires user interaction from the victim, typically loading the page containing the malicious field.
No public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2025-46883, and the flaw is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Refer to the Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-48 for vendor-supplied technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-46883
Indicators of Compromise
- Form field values in the AEM repository containing HTML tags such as <script>, <img onerror=>, or <svg onload=>
- Outbound HTTP requests from author or publish instances to unfamiliar domains following page loads
- Unexpected JavaScript execution or DOM modification on AEM-rendered pages containing form components
Detection Strategies
- Query the AEM Java Content Repository (JCR) for form field properties containing script-like patterns or encoded payloads such as javascript:, onerror=, or String.fromCharCode
- Review AEM access logs for POST requests to form submission endpoints containing suspicious character sequences
- Deploy a Content Security Policy (CSP) in report-only mode to surface unexpected inline script execution on AEM pages
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable audit logging on AEM authoring workflows and alert on form field edits by low-privileged accounts
- Monitor browser console errors and CSP violation reports from authenticated user sessions
- Correlate authoring account activity with anomalous script execution on published pages
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-46883
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the Adobe security update referenced in Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-48 to all AEM instances at version 6.5.22 or earlier
- Audit existing form field content in the JCR for previously injected payloads and remove malicious entries
- Restrict form authoring privileges to trusted accounts and enforce multi-factor authentication
Patch Information
Adobe released fixes as part of the APSB25-48 advisory. Upgrade AEM on-premises deployments to the patched service pack and confirm AEM Cloud Service instances are running the remediated release. Consult the Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-48 for exact version numbers and installation guidance.
Workarounds
- Deploy a strict Content Security Policy that blocks inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins
- Place a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule in front of AEM to filter payloads containing script tags and event handlers on form submission endpoints
- Temporarily disable or restrict access to the affected form components until the patch is applied
# Example CSP header to reduce stored XSS impact on AEM responses
Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; base-uri 'self'; frame-ancestors 'self'; report-uri /csp-report
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.