CVE-2026-48310: Adobe Experience Manager Path Traversal

CVE-2026-48310 Overview

CVE-2026-48310 is a path traversal vulnerability affecting Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). The flaw stems from improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory [CWE-22]. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this issue over the network without user interaction to read arbitrary files from the underlying file system. Because the scope is changed, exploitation impacts resources beyond the vulnerable component itself, potentially exposing sensitive configuration files, credentials, and application data outside the intended access boundary.

Critical Impact
Remote unauthenticated attackers can read arbitrary files outside the intended web root, exposing configuration, credentials, and application data across Adobe Experience Manager on-premises, LTS, and Cloud Service deployments.

Affected Products

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM Cloud Service)
Adobe Experience Manager 6.5 LTS (base release)
Adobe Experience Manager 6.5 LTS Service Packs 1 and 2

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-14 - CVE-2026-48310 published to NVD
2026-07-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-48310

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in how Adobe Experience Manager processes and normalizes user-supplied path parameters before accessing file system resources. AEM fails to properly restrict pathname inputs to the intended base directory. An attacker can supply crafted path traversal sequences that escape the restricted directory and reach files elsewhere on the server. Because exploitation requires no authentication and no user interaction, attackers can target internet-exposed AEM instances directly. The changed scope indicates that a successful attack affects components beyond the vulnerable module, such as the underlying operating system files or shared authoring repositories.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient input validation and canonicalization of file path parameters processed by AEM request handlers. Traversal sequences such as ../ or encoded variants are not stripped or rejected before the path is resolved against the file system. This allows requests to reference files outside the document root or content repository boundary. The weakness maps to [CWE-22], a common flaw in web applications that construct file paths from untrusted input.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated remote attacker sends specially crafted HTTP requests to a vulnerable AEM endpoint. The requests contain manipulated path parameters designed to traverse directory boundaries. Successful exploitation returns the contents of arbitrary files readable by the AEM service account. Targets typically include configuration files containing database credentials, API keys, private keys, and repository configuration. This vulnerability affects confidentiality only. It does not permit modification of files or denial of service based on the CVSS vector.

No public proof-of-concept exploit code is available at the time of publication. Refer to the Adobe Security Advisory APSB26-74 for vendor technical guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-48310

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP request logs containing directory traversal sequences such as ../, ..%2f, ..%5c, or double-encoded variants targeting AEM endpoints.
Unexpected AEM responses returning content from system paths such as /etc/passwd, WEB-INF/, or crx-quickstart/ configuration files.
Access to AEM URIs with unusual file extensions or path components not associated with normal author or publish traffic.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules that inspect and block path traversal patterns in query strings, URI paths, and POST bodies targeting AEM Dispatcher and publish tiers.
Correlate outbound requests from AEM hosts with anomalous file read patterns in application logs to identify successful traversal attempts.
Baseline expected AEM URI patterns and alert on requests that deviate significantly, particularly those containing encoded traversal characters.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose access logging on AEM Dispatcher, load balancers, and application servers to capture full request URIs and parameters.
Forward AEM and reverse proxy logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation and retention.
Monitor for outbound data transfers from AEM instances that exceed baseline volumes, indicating potential data exfiltration following file disclosure.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-48310

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the security updates referenced in Adobe Security Advisory APSB26-74 to all affected AEM 6.5 LTS and Cloud Service deployments.
Inventory all AEM instances, including non-production and staging environments, and prioritize internet-facing systems for immediate patching.
Review AEM access logs for the past 90 days for path traversal indicators and initiate incident response if evidence of exploitation is found.

Patch Information

Adobe has published fixes for affected Adobe Experience Manager versions. Consult the Adobe Security Advisory APSB26-74 for the exact fixed versions, download locations, and upgrade instructions applicable to on-premises AEM 6.5 LTS and AEM as a Cloud Service environments.

Workarounds

Configure the AEM Dispatcher to reject requests containing path traversal sequences in URIs and parameters until patches are deployed.
Restrict network exposure of AEM author instances to trusted management networks and place publish instances behind hardened reverse proxies.
Rotate credentials, API keys, and private keys stored on AEM hosts if exploitation is suspected, since file read vulnerabilities can expose these secrets.

bash

# Example Apache/Dispatcher filter rule to block traversal patterns
/0100 { /type "deny" /url '*(\.\./|\.\.%2f|\.\.%5c|%2e%2e/).*' }