CVE-2025-46956 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 AEM, 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 compromised form field, the malicious script executes in their browser context. This DOM-based XSS (CWE-79) vulnerability enables attackers to perform actions such as session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions on behalf of the victim. 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 attack complexity, requires low privileges, and user interaction is needed to trigger the exploit. The scope is changed, meaning the vulnerability affects components beyond the initially vulnerable component. Currently, there are no known exploits in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. Given that Adobe Experience Manager is widely used for enterprise content management and digital experience delivery, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to organizations relying on it for web content management and customer engagement platforms.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-46956 can be substantial, especially for those using Adobe Experience Manager to manage public-facing websites or intranet portals. Exploitation could lead to the compromise of user sessions, leakage of sensitive information, and unauthorized actions performed under the guise of legitimate users. This could result in reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations due to data leakage), and potential financial losses. Since AEM often integrates with other enterprise systems, the XSS vulnerability could serve as a pivot point for more extensive attacks within the network. The requirement for low privileges to inject malicious scripts means that even internal users or attackers who gain minimal access could exploit this vulnerability. The need for user interaction (visiting a compromised page) means social engineering or phishing could be used to increase the attack success rate. Given the widespread use of AEM in sectors such as government, finance, retail, and media across Europe, the threat could affect a broad range of organizations.

Organizations should prioritize the following mitigation steps: 1) Immediately audit all Adobe Experience Manager instances to identify versions 6.5.22 and earlier and plan for an upgrade to the latest patched version once available. 2) Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all form fields and user-generated content to prevent script injection. 3) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers. 4) Conduct user awareness training to recognize phishing attempts that could lead users to maliciously crafted pages. 5) Monitor web application logs for unusual input patterns or repeated attempts to inject scripts. 6) Use web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules tailored to detect and block XSS payloads targeting AEM. 7) Segment and restrict access to AEM administrative interfaces to minimize the risk of low-privileged attackers gaining foothold. 8) Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing XSS exploitation scenarios to reduce response times if an attack occurs.