CVE-2025-46909 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 within the AEM platform, allowing a low-privileged attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code that is persistently stored on the server. When a victim user accesses the affected page containing the malicious payload, the injected script executes in their browser context. This can lead to various attack scenarios including session hijacking, credential theft, unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the user, and potential pivoting within the affected web application environment. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.4, indicating a medium severity level. The vector details (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N) show that the attack can be performed remotely over the network with low privileges, requires user interaction (victim must visit the malicious page), and impacts confidentiality and integrity with a scope change, but does not affect availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and Adobe has not yet published official patches or mitigations. Given the widespread use of Adobe Experience Manager in enterprise content management and digital experience platforms, this vulnerability poses a significant risk if exploited, especially in environments where users have elevated privileges or access sensitive data through AEM portals.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be substantial due to the prevalent use of Adobe Experience Manager in sectors such as government, finance, healthcare, and large enterprises managing customer-facing websites and intranets. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including personal data protected under GDPR, resulting in regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Attackers could leverage the XSS flaw to conduct phishing campaigns, steal session cookies, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially compromising internal systems or customer data. The scope change indicated in the CVSS vector suggests that the vulnerability could allow attackers to escalate privileges or affect other components beyond the initially targeted user session. This is particularly concerning for organizations with complex AEM deployments integrated with other enterprise systems. Additionally, the requirement for user interaction means that social engineering or targeted attacks could be used to maximize impact. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the medium severity score underscores the need for timely remediation to prevent potential exploitation.

European organizations should immediately conduct a thorough audit of their Adobe Experience Manager instances to identify affected versions (6.5.22 and earlier). As no official patches are currently available, organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Apply strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data within AEM forms to neutralize malicious scripts. 2) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers accessing AEM content. 3) Limit user privileges to the minimum necessary, especially for users who can submit data to vulnerable form fields. 4) Monitor web application logs and user activity for unusual behavior indicative of XSS exploitation attempts. 5) Educate users about the risks of clicking on suspicious links or interacting with untrusted content within AEM portals. 6) Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block common XSS payloads targeting AEM. 7) Stay alert for Adobe’s official security advisories and apply patches promptly once released. 8) Review and harden session management policies to reduce the impact of potential session hijacking. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on the specific attack vectors and environment characteristics of AEM deployments.