CVE-2022-42352 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. In this case, a low-privileged attacker can craft a specially crafted URL referencing a vulnerable page within AEM. When a victim clicks on this URL, the malicious script executes in the context of the victim's browser session. This can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the victim. The vulnerability affects the web interface of AEM, a widely used enterprise content management system for building websites, mobile apps, and forms. The vulnerability does not require authentication, increasing its risk, but exploitation requires social engineering to convince a user to visit the malicious URL. There are no known public exploits in the wild as of the published date, and no official patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, which covers improper neutralization of input during web page generation. Given the nature of reflected XSS, the attack scope is limited to users who interact with the malicious link, but the impact on confidentiality and integrity can be significant if successful. The vulnerability was reserved in early October 2022 and published in December 2022, indicating recent discovery and disclosure.

For European organizations using Adobe Experience Manager, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the confidentiality and integrity of user sessions and data. Attackers could exploit this flaw to steal session cookies, enabling unauthorized access to sensitive content or administrative functions within AEM portals. This could lead to data leakage, unauthorized content modification, or further lateral attacks within the organization. Since AEM is often used by large enterprises, government agencies, and public sector organizations in Europe for managing critical web content, the potential impact includes reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR breaches), and operational disruption. The reflected XSS does not directly affect system availability but can be a stepping stone for more severe attacks. The requirement for user interaction (clicking a malicious link) somewhat limits the attack vector but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with high user traffic or where phishing attacks are common. Organizations with public-facing AEM portals are particularly vulnerable, as attackers can target external users or employees. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not preclude future exploitation, especially given the widespread use of AEM in Europe.

1. Immediate mitigation should include implementing strict input validation and output encoding on all user-controllable parameters in AEM pages to neutralize malicious scripts. 2. Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block reflected XSS payloads targeting AEM endpoints. 3. Educate users and administrators about the risks of clicking untrusted links, emphasizing phishing awareness. 4. Monitor web server logs and application telemetry for unusual URL patterns indicative of attempted exploitation. 5. Segregate and limit user privileges within AEM to minimize the impact of compromised sessions. 6. Apply any available security updates or patches from Adobe as soon as they are released; in the absence of official patches, consider temporary workarounds such as disabling vulnerable components or restricting access to affected pages. 7. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on web application vulnerabilities, including reflected XSS. 8. Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers accessing AEM portals. These measures, combined, reduce the likelihood and impact of exploitation beyond generic advice.