CVE-2023-48452 is a DOM-based Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) versions 6.5.18 and earlier. This vulnerability arises when an attacker crafts a malicious URL referencing a vulnerable page within AEM. If a low-privileged attacker convinces a victim to visit this URL, the malicious JavaScript embedded in the URL can execute within the victim's browser context. This type of XSS is DOM-based, meaning the vulnerability exists in client-side scripts that process URL parameters or other DOM elements without proper sanitization or validation. The attack requires user interaction (the victim must click or visit the malicious link), and the attacker must have at least low privileges to craft the exploit. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity by allowing execution of arbitrary scripts, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the victim. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.4 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, low privileges required, user interaction needed, and partial impact on confidentiality and integrity but no impact on availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches are linked yet, indicating that organizations should prioritize monitoring and mitigation. Adobe Experience Manager is a widely used enterprise content management system, often deployed in large organizations for managing web content and digital assets, making this vulnerability relevant for entities relying on AEM for their web presence and internal portals.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for those using Adobe Experience Manager to manage public-facing websites or internal portals. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized script execution in users' browsers, resulting in theft of sensitive information such as authentication tokens, personal data, or corporate credentials. This could facilitate further attacks like session hijacking or phishing campaigns targeting employees or customers. The integrity of web content could be compromised, damaging organizational reputation and trust. Since AEM is often integrated with other enterprise systems, the vulnerability could serve as an entry point for lateral movement within networks. The requirement for user interaction somewhat limits the attack scope, but social engineering techniques can increase success rates. Given the medium severity and the absence of known active exploits, the immediate risk is moderate, but organizations should act proactively to prevent exploitation, especially those in sectors with high regulatory requirements for data protection such as finance, healthcare, and government.

1. Apply official Adobe patches or updates as soon as they become available for AEM versions 6.5.18 and earlier. 2. Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of XSS attacks. 3. Conduct a thorough review of all custom client-side scripts and URL parameter handling in AEM to ensure proper input validation and output encoding, focusing on areas processing user-controllable data. 4. Educate users and employees about the risks of clicking on suspicious links and implement email filtering to reduce phishing attempts that could deliver malicious URLs. 5. Use web application firewalls (WAFs) with updated signatures to detect and block exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability. 6. Monitor web server and application logs for unusual URL patterns or repeated access to vulnerable pages that could indicate exploitation attempts. 7. Limit the exposure of AEM instances to only necessary users and networks, employing network segmentation and access controls to reduce attack surface. 8. Regularly perform security assessments and penetration testing focused on client-side vulnerabilities to identify and remediate similar issues proactively.