CVE-2025-46837 is a high-severity reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) versions 6.5.22 and earlier. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding in certain form fields within the AEM web interface. A low-privileged attacker can exploit this flaw by injecting malicious JavaScript code into these vulnerable form fields. When a victim user accesses the affected page containing the injected script, the malicious code executes in their browser context. This can lead to session hijacking, allowing the attacker to impersonate the victim, steal sensitive information, or perform unauthorized actions within the application. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity significantly, as attackers can gain access to user sessions and potentially manipulate data. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.7 reflects the ease of exploitation (network vector, low attack complexity, low privileges required, but user interaction needed) and the critical impact on confidentiality and integrity. The scope is changed (S:C), indicating the vulnerability affects components beyond the initially vulnerable system, possibly impacting other users or systems connected through AEM. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the vulnerability is publicly disclosed and should be considered a serious threat due to the widespread use of Adobe Experience Manager in enterprise content management and digital experience platforms.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be substantial. Adobe Experience Manager is widely used by enterprises, government agencies, and large institutions across Europe to manage digital content and customer experiences. Exploitation of this XSS vulnerability could lead to session hijacking of privileged users or administrators, resulting in unauthorized access to sensitive corporate or personal data. This can cause data breaches, reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations), and operational disruptions. Since AEM often integrates with other enterprise systems, the compromise of user sessions could facilitate lateral movement or further exploitation within the network. Public sector entities and industries with high regulatory requirements (finance, healthcare, telecommunications) are particularly at risk. The need for user interaction (victim visiting a maliciously crafted page) means phishing or social engineering campaigns could be used to trigger the attack, increasing the threat surface.

1. Immediate patching: Organizations should prioritize upgrading Adobe Experience Manager to a version later than 6.5.22 where this vulnerability is fixed. If a patch is not yet available, apply any vendor-provided workarounds or mitigations. 2. Input validation and output encoding: Review and harden input validation and output encoding on all form fields and user-supplied content within AEM to prevent script injection. 3. Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement strict CSP headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of XSS attacks. 4. User awareness and phishing defenses: Educate users about the risks of clicking on untrusted links and implement email filtering and anti-phishing technologies to reduce the likelihood of successful social engineering. 5. Session management: Enforce secure cookie attributes (HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite) and consider implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of session hijacking. 6. Monitoring and detection: Deploy web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect and block XSS payloads targeting AEM and monitor logs for suspicious activity related to form submissions. 7. Segmentation and least privilege: Limit access to AEM administration interfaces and sensitive functions to only necessary users and network segments to reduce attack surface.