CVE-2022-30685 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) versions 6.5.13.0 and earlier. This vulnerability arises when an attacker crafts a malicious URL referencing a vulnerable page within AEM. When a victim with low-privilege access clicks on this URL, the malicious JavaScript payload executes within the victim's browser context. Reflected XSS vulnerabilities occur because user-supplied input is improperly sanitized or encoded before being included in the web page output, allowing script injection. In this case, the attacker does not require elevated privileges but does need the victim to have some level of access to the AEM instance, which is typically used for content management and digital experience delivery. The vulnerability can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the victim within the scope of their access. No public exploits have been reported in the wild, and Adobe has not provided official patches or mitigations at the time of this report. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, indicating improper neutralization of input leading to script injection. Given the nature of AEM as a widely used enterprise content management system, exploitation could impact web applications and portals managed through AEM, potentially affecting both internal users and external customers if the affected pages are publicly accessible or accessible to authenticated users.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, particularly for those relying on Adobe Experience Manager for managing web content, intranets, or customer-facing portals. Exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of authenticated users, leading to theft of session tokens, user credentials, or sensitive data. This could facilitate further attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within the organization. Additionally, the integrity of the content served via AEM could be compromised, damaging organizational reputation and trust. Given the low privilege required for exploitation but the need for user interaction (victim clicking a malicious link), the attack surface includes employees, partners, or customers with access to the affected AEM instance. The vulnerability could also be leveraged in targeted phishing campaigns. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers often develop exploits after public disclosure. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and media, which heavily use AEM for digital content management, are particularly at risk due to the sensitivity of their data and regulatory requirements in Europe (e.g., GDPR).

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should first verify if their AEM installations are running version 6.5.13.0 or earlier and prioritize upgrading to the latest patched version once Adobe releases an official fix. In the interim, organizations should implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data within AEM pages to prevent script injection. Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) can be configured with custom rules to detect and block common XSS attack patterns targeting AEM endpoints. Organizations should also conduct thorough security reviews of custom AEM components and templates to ensure they do not introduce additional XSS risks. User awareness training is critical to reduce the likelihood of successful phishing attempts exploiting this vulnerability. Monitoring and logging of AEM access and unusual user activity can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Restricting access to AEM instances to trusted networks and enforcing strong authentication mechanisms (e.g., multi-factor authentication) can further reduce risk. Finally, organizations should subscribe to Adobe security advisories and threat intelligence feeds to stay informed about patches and emerging threats related to this vulnerability.