CVE-2025-46911 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) versions 6.5.22 and earlier. This vulnerability arises from insufficient sanitization of user input in certain form fields, allowing a high-privileged attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code that is persistently stored on the affected system. When other users visit the compromised page containing the malicious payload, the injected script executes in their browsers within the context of the vulnerable AEM instance. The vulnerability requires the attacker to have high privileges within the AEM environment, which typically means administrative or editorial access. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.8 (medium severity), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), but requires high privileges (PR:H) and user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), indicating that the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact affects confidentiality and integrity to a limited extent (C:L, I:L), but does not impact availability (A:N). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. This vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79, which is a common weakness related to improper neutralization of input leading to XSS. Stored XSS in a content management system like AEM is particularly dangerous because it can affect multiple users, including administrators and content editors, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further compromise of the web application environment.

For European organizations using Adobe Experience Manager, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the confidentiality and integrity of user sessions and data. Since AEM is widely used by enterprises, government agencies, and large organizations for managing web content and digital assets, exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, defacement of websites, or distribution of malware through trusted domains. The requirement for high privileges to inject the malicious script somewhat limits the attack surface, but insider threats or compromised administrative accounts could enable exploitation. The cross-site scripting could also be leveraged to perform phishing attacks or steal authentication tokens from users interacting with the affected AEM instance. Given the critical role of AEM in digital presence and customer engagement, any compromise could damage reputation, lead to regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR), and cause operational disruptions. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk, but organizations should act proactively to prevent potential future attacks.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigation steps: 1) Immediately audit user privileges within AEM to ensure that only trusted personnel have high-level access capable of injecting content. 2) Apply strict input validation and output encoding on all form fields, especially those that accept user-generated content, to prevent script injection. 3) Monitor AEM logs for unusual activities or unexpected content changes that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4) Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers accessing the AEM environment. 5) Segregate administrative interfaces from public-facing components to reduce exposure. 6) Regularly update and patch AEM once Adobe releases an official fix for this vulnerability. 7) Conduct security awareness training for administrators to recognize social engineering or phishing attempts that could lead to privilege escalation. 8) Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules tuned to detect and block XSS payloads targeting AEM. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on privilege management, monitoring, and layered defenses tailored to the AEM context.