CVE-2022-35693 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) version 6.5.14 and earlier. Reflected XSS vulnerabilities occur when an application includes untrusted user input in a web page without proper validation or escaping, allowing an attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of the victim's browser. In this case, a low-privileged attacker can craft a malicious URL referencing a vulnerable page within AEM. When a victim clicks this URL, the injected script executes within their browser session, potentially allowing the attacker to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the user, or redirect the victim to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality and integrity of user sessions and data processed by AEM. Since AEM is a widely used enterprise content management system, this vulnerability could be exploited to target users accessing web portals, intranets, or public-facing sites managed by AEM. No authentication is required for exploitation, and user interaction is limited to clicking a crafted URL, which can be delivered via phishing or social engineering. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild, the presence of this vulnerability in a critical web platform and its medium severity rating indicate a tangible risk to organizations using affected versions of AEM. The lack of available patches at the time of reporting increases the urgency for mitigation through configuration and user awareness.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for those relying on Adobe Experience Manager to deliver web content or internal portals. Successful exploitation can lead to session hijacking, unauthorized actions within the victim's session, data leakage, and potential compromise of user credentials or sensitive information. This can result in reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (notably under GDPR), and operational disruption. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure that use AEM for customer or employee-facing applications are particularly at risk. The vulnerability may also be leveraged as an initial access vector or to escalate privileges within a compromised environment. Given the ease of exploitation (no authentication required) and the potential for widespread impact across multiple users, European entities must prioritize addressing this issue to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of their web applications and user data.

1. Immediate mitigation should include implementing strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data within AEM pages to prevent script injection. 2. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of potential XSS attacks. 3. Disable or restrict features or components within AEM that reflect user input without sanitization until a patch is available. 4. Educate users and administrators about the risks of clicking unsolicited or suspicious links, emphasizing phishing awareness. 5. Monitor web server logs and application behavior for unusual requests or patterns indicative of attempted exploitation. 6. Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules tailored to detect and block reflected XSS payloads targeting AEM. 7. Stay updated with Adobe security advisories and apply official patches or updates promptly once released. 8. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on web application vulnerabilities, including XSS, to identify and remediate weaknesses proactively.