CVE-2026-75732: Adobe Experience Manager Privilege Escalation

CVE-2026-75732 Overview

CVE-2026-75732 is an Incorrect Authorization vulnerability [CWE-863] affecting Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). The flaw allows an attacker with low-privilege network access to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Successful exploitation can lead to elevated access or control of the victim's account or session. Exploitation does not require user interaction, and the vulnerability causes a scope change, meaning the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component.

Critical Impact
Attackers can achieve arbitrary code execution and escalate privileges against Adobe Experience Manager instances without user interaction, affecting resources beyond the component itself.

Affected Products

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)
Refer to the Adobe Experience Manager Security Advisory APSB26-152 for the specific affected versions

Discovery Timeline

2026-10-13 - CVE-2026-75732 published to NVD
2026-10-14 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-75732

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from an authorization control weakness in Adobe Experience Manager. AEM fails to correctly validate whether an authenticated user is permitted to perform a given action. An attacker holding low-privilege credentials can leverage this gap to execute arbitrary code within the context of the current user. The resulting code execution can lead to session hijacking, data exposure, or further compromise of the hosting environment.

The scope change characteristic indicates the vulnerability affects resources managed by a security authority other than the vulnerable component. This typically means the compromise reaches beyond the AEM application boundary into underlying systems or other tenants.

Root Cause

The root cause maps to [CWE-863] Incorrect Authorization. AEM performs an authorization check, but the check does not correctly enforce the intended access control policy. Low-privileged users can therefore invoke functionality reserved for higher-privileged roles. Combined with code execution primitives available through AEM features, this authorization gap converts into arbitrary code execution.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based. An attacker authenticates to the AEM instance with any low-privilege account and sends crafted requests to functionality that should require elevated privileges. The authorization logic accepts the request, enabling the attacker to trigger code execution paths. No user interaction is required from an administrator or victim, which allows fully automated exploitation.

No verified proof-of-concept has been published. See the Adobe Experience Manager Security Advisory APSB26-152 for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-75732

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected authenticated requests from low-privileged AEM accounts to administrative or author-tier endpoints
New or modified JCR nodes, OSGi bundles, or scripts installed by non-administrative users
Spawned child processes from the AEM Java process (for example, sh, bash, cmd.exe, powershell.exe)
Outbound network connections from the AEM host to previously unseen domains or IP addresses

Detection Strategies

Audit AEM access logs for privilege-sensitive endpoints invoked by accounts that lack the corresponding role
Correlate authentication events with configuration or content changes to flag unauthorized administrative actions
Alert on process execution lineage where the AEM JVM becomes the parent of shell or scripting interpreters
Monitor the file system for writes to AEM installation directories outside of scheduled deployments

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward AEM access.log, error.log, and audit.log into a centralized SIEM for retention and correlation
Enable OSGi configuration change auditing and alert on bundle installations or updates
Baseline normal outbound connectivity from AEM hosts and alert on deviations

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-75732

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the security update referenced in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB26-152 as soon as feasible
Inventory all AEM Author and Publish instances, including non-production environments, and confirm patch status
Review AEM user and group memberships to remove unnecessary accounts and reduce the pool of exploitable low-privilege users
Rotate credentials for AEM service accounts that may have been exposed prior to patching

Patch Information

Adobe has published remediation guidance in security bulletin APSB26-152. Administrators should consult the Adobe Experience Manager Security Advisory for the fixed version numbers and installation instructions applicable to their deployment.

Workarounds

Restrict network access to AEM Author instances using a reverse proxy, VPN, or IP allow-list until patches are deployed
Disable or restrict access to AEM endpoints that are not required for business operations
Enforce strong authentication and reduce the number of accounts with any level of AEM access

bash

# Example: restrict AEM Author access with an Apache reverse proxy allow-list
<Location />
    Require ip 10.0.0.0/8
    Require ip 192.168.0.0/16
</Location>