CVE-2022-42345 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) version 6.5.14 and earlier. This vulnerability arises when an attacker crafts a malicious URL referencing a vulnerable page within AEM, which, when visited by a victim, causes the execution of attacker-controlled JavaScript code in the context of the victim's browser. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, indicating improper neutralization of input during web page generation. The attack vector requires the attacker to convince a user to click on a specially crafted URL, which then reflects malicious script content back to the browser without proper sanitization or encoding. Because the vulnerability is reflected, it does not persist on the server but relies on user interaction. The attacker’s privileges are low, meaning no elevated access is needed to exploit the flaw. The impact of such an XSS attack can include session hijacking, credential theft, unauthorized actions on behalf of the user, and delivery of malware. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild to date, the presence of this vulnerability in a widely used enterprise content management system like Adobe Experience Manager makes it a significant concern. The lack of an official patch link suggests that remediation may require applying updates from Adobe or implementing temporary mitigations such as input validation and output encoding at the application level. Given that AEM is often used to manage websites and digital assets for large organizations, exploitation could lead to compromise of sensitive user data or damage to organizational reputation.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be substantial. Adobe Experience Manager is widely adopted by enterprises, government agencies, and public sector organizations across Europe for managing digital content and customer experiences. Exploitation of this reflected XSS vulnerability could allow attackers to execute malicious scripts in the browsers of employees, partners, or customers, potentially leading to theft of authentication tokens, personal data, or unauthorized transactions. This could result in data breaches subject to GDPR regulations, leading to legal penalties and loss of customer trust. Additionally, compromised AEM instances could be used as a vector for further attacks within the corporate network or to distribute malware to end users. The medium severity rating reflects that while the vulnerability requires user interaction and does not grant direct system access, the potential for significant confidentiality and integrity impacts remains. Organizations with public-facing AEM deployments are particularly at risk, especially if they do not have robust input validation or Content Security Policies (CSP) in place. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, as attackers may develop exploits over time.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should prioritize the following actions: 1) Apply the latest Adobe Experience Manager patches or updates as soon as they become available, ensuring the vulnerable versions are upgraded beyond 6.5.14. 2) Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data that is reflected in web pages to prevent injection of malicious scripts. 3) Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts within browsers, limiting the impact of any successful XSS attempts. 4) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on web application vulnerabilities, including reflected XSS. 5) Educate users and employees about the risks of clicking on unsolicited or suspicious links, especially those that appear to originate from untrusted sources. 6) Monitor web server logs and application telemetry for unusual URL patterns or repeated attempts to exploit reflected XSS vectors. 7) Consider implementing web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules specifically designed to detect and block reflected XSS payloads targeting AEM. These measures, combined, will reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation and limit potential damage.