CVE-2025-47052 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 a victim's browser when they view the page containing the affected field. Adobe published the fix in security bulletin APSB25-48. The vulnerability affects both on-premises AEM and AEM Cloud Service deployments. Exploitation requires user interaction and low-level authenticated access to the authoring environment.
Critical Impact
Stored XSS in AEM form fields allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in victim browsers, enabling session theft, credential harvesting, and unauthorized actions in the AEM context.
Affected Products
- Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.22 and earlier (on-premises)
- Adobe Experience Manager Cloud Service
- AEM Forms components handling user-controlled field content
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-06-10 - CVE-2025-47052 published to NVD
- 2025-06-10 - Adobe releases security bulletin APSB25-48
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-47052
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw in Adobe Experience Manager form fields. Stored XSS occurs when user-supplied data is persisted server-side and later rendered to other users without proper output encoding. In this case, AEM accepts attacker-controlled input in form fields and returns that content within HTML responses. The browser interprets embedded <script> tags or event handlers as executable code. Because the payload persists in the AEM content repository, every user who loads the affected page triggers execution.
The scope change indicated by the vulnerability reflects that JavaScript executing in the AEM author or publish context can access resources beyond the immediate component. Attackers can pivot to steal session cookies, perform actions as the authenticated victim, or deliver secondary payloads.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper neutralization of user input during web page generation [CWE-79]. AEM's form field handling did not sufficiently sanitize or contextually encode input before storing it or rendering it back to browsers. HTML control characters such as <, >, and quote characters passed through to the DOM.
Attack Vector
An attacker with low-privileged authoring access submits a crafted payload into a vulnerable form field. AEM persists the input in the Java Content Repository (JCR). When a victim, such as an editor, reviewer, or end user, browses to the page containing that field, the browser executes the JavaScript. Exploitation is network-based, requires low privileges, and requires user interaction to view the poisoned page.
Verified proof-of-concept code is not publicly available. See the Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-48 for vendor-provided technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47052
Indicators of Compromise
- Form field content in the JCR containing HTML tags such as <script>, <img onerror=, or <svg onload=
- Unexpected outbound requests from author or publish instances to attacker-controlled domains during page rendering
- Anomalous JavaScript execution or DOM modification in AEM-hosted pages not present in baseline templates
- Session cookie access or exfiltration originating from AEM page contexts
Detection Strategies
- Audit JCR content nodes for form field properties containing script tags, event handlers, or encoded payloads such as javascript: URIs
- Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) reporting to surface inline script execution attempts on AEM-served pages
- Review AEM access logs for unusual POST requests from low-privileged accounts targeting form component endpoints
- Correlate authentication events with content modification events to identify suspicious authoring activity
Monitoring Recommendations
- Continuously monitor AEM author instance logs for form submissions containing HTML metacharacters
- Alert on browser CSP violation reports referencing AEM-hosted pages
- Track privilege usage patterns for low-privileged content authors and flag lateral content modifications
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47052
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Adobe Experience Manager to the version specified in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-48
- For AEM Cloud Service customers, confirm the current release channel has received the patched build
- Audit existing form field content across the JCR for injected script payloads and remediate poisoned nodes
- Review authoring role assignments and remove unnecessary low-privileged accounts with form editing rights
Patch Information
Adobe addressed the vulnerability in the June 2025 security update for Adobe Experience Manager. On-premises customers must apply the AEM 6.5 Service Pack referenced in APSB25-48. AEM as a Cloud Service receives the fix through the standard release channel. Refer to the Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-48 for exact version numbers and installation instructions.
Workarounds
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy on AEM-served pages to block inline script execution and untrusted script sources
- Apply reverse proxy or web application firewall rules to strip HTML metacharacters from form field submissions until patching completes
- Restrict authoring privileges to trusted users and require additional review of content changes touching form components
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.