CVE-2025-46864 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) versions 6.5.22 and earlier. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input sanitization in certain form fields, allowing a low-privileged attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code that is persistently stored on the server. When a victim user accesses a page containing the vulnerable form field, the malicious script executes within their browser context. This can lead to unauthorized actions such as session hijacking, credential theft, or performing actions on behalf of the victim user. The vulnerability requires the attacker to have low-level privileges to submit malicious input, and the victim must interact with the affected page for the exploit to succeed. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.4 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, low privileges required, and user interaction needed. The scope is changed, indicating that the vulnerability affects components beyond the initially vulnerable module, potentially impacting confidentiality and integrity but not availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. However, given AEM's widespread use in enterprise content management and web experience delivery, this vulnerability poses a significant risk if left unmitigated.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be substantial, especially for those relying on Adobe Experience Manager for managing web content and customer-facing portals. Exploitation could lead to theft of sensitive user data, including session tokens and personal information, undermining user trust and violating data protection regulations such as GDPR. Attackers could leverage the vulnerability to perform unauthorized actions within the context of authenticated users, potentially leading to data manipulation or unauthorized access to internal resources. The persistent nature of stored XSS increases the risk of widespread impact across multiple users. Additionally, reputational damage and potential regulatory penalties could arise from successful exploitation. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and e-commerce, which often use AEM for digital experience management, are particularly at risk. The requirement for user interaction means phishing or social engineering could be used to increase attack success rates.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should prioritize the following actions: 1) Monitor Adobe's official security advisories closely and apply patches or updates as soon as they become available. 2) Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data within AEM forms and custom components to prevent script injection. 3) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers. 4) Conduct thorough security testing, including automated scanning and manual code reviews, focusing on input handling in AEM deployments. 5) Limit user privileges to the minimum necessary to reduce the risk posed by low-privileged attackers. 6) Educate users and administrators about the risks of XSS and encourage vigilance against suspicious links or content. 7) Use web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules tailored to detect and block XSS payloads targeting AEM. 8) Regularly audit and sanitize stored content to identify and remove any malicious scripts that may have been injected prior to patching.