CVE-2025-46857 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) versions 6.5.22 and earlier. This vulnerability arises when an attacker crafts a malicious URL referencing a vulnerable page within AEM. If a victim with low privileges is tricked into visiting this URL, the malicious JavaScript payload embedded in the URL can execute within the victim's browser context. This reflected XSS does not require the attacker to have elevated privileges on the system but does require user interaction (the victim clicking or visiting the malicious link). The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity by potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the user, or manipulate displayed content. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.4 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), low privileges required (PR:L), user interaction required (UI:R), scope changed (S:C), and low impact on confidentiality and integrity (C:L, I:L), with no impact on availability (A:N). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79, which is a common and well-understood class of web application security issues related to improper input validation and output encoding.

For European organizations using Adobe Experience Manager, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk. AEM is widely used by enterprises and public sector organizations for content management and digital experience delivery. Successful exploitation could lead to session hijacking, unauthorized actions, or data leakage within the context of the affected web applications. This could undermine user trust, lead to data breaches involving personal or sensitive information, and potentially violate GDPR requirements regarding data protection and breach notification. The reflected XSS nature means attacks require social engineering to lure users into clicking malicious links, which could be targeted at employees, customers, or partners. Given the scope change in the CVSS vector, the vulnerability could affect resources beyond the initially vulnerable component, increasing the potential impact. While no active exploitation is reported, the presence of this vulnerability in critical digital platforms used by European organizations necessitates prompt attention to prevent reputational damage and compliance risks.

1. Immediate mitigation should include implementing strict input validation and output encoding on all user-controllable inputs in Adobe Experience Manager pages to prevent injection of malicious scripts. 2. Organizations should monitor and restrict the use of URLs with suspicious query parameters or payloads, especially in external communications. 3. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts within the browser context. 4. Educate users and staff about the risks of clicking unknown or suspicious links, emphasizing phishing awareness. 5. Since no official patches are currently linked, organizations should engage with Adobe support to obtain any available hotfixes or updates and plan for timely patch deployment once available. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on web application vulnerabilities, including reflected XSS, to identify and remediate similar issues proactively. 7. Implement web application firewalls (WAF) with rules tuned to detect and block reflected XSS attack patterns targeting AEM instances.