CVE-2025-46971 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 affected system. When a victim user accesses a page containing the compromised form field, the malicious script executes in their browser context. This can lead to a range of attacks including session hijacking, credential theft, unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the user, or distribution of malware. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, indicating it is a classic XSS flaw. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.4 (medium severity), with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), user interaction needed (UI:R), scope changed (S:C), and impacts on confidentiality and integrity but not availability (C:L/I:L/A:N). No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, and no patches are linked at this time. However, given the widespread use of Adobe Experience Manager in enterprise content management and digital experience platforms, this vulnerability poses a significant risk if exploited. The scope change in the CVSS vector means the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the initially vulnerable component, increasing potential impact. The requirement for user interaction means attackers must trick users into visiting malicious or compromised pages, which is feasible in many scenarios such as phishing or compromised internal portals.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be substantial. Adobe Experience Manager is widely used by enterprises, government agencies, and large institutions across Europe for managing web content and digital experiences. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, including user credentials and session tokens, potentially enabling further lateral movement within networks. Confidentiality and integrity of data can be compromised, leading to data breaches or manipulation of displayed content, damaging organizational reputation and trust. Since the vulnerability requires user interaction, phishing campaigns targeting employees or customers could be effective, increasing the risk of successful exploitation. Additionally, compromised AEM instances could be used to serve malicious payloads to visitors, amplifying the threat beyond the initial organization. The medium severity rating suggests moderate risk, but the strategic importance of affected systems in sectors such as finance, government, and critical infrastructure in Europe elevates the potential consequences. The lack of available patches at the time of publication means organizations must rely on interim mitigations, increasing exposure duration.

European organizations should implement a multi-layered mitigation approach. First, apply any available vendor patches or updates from Adobe as soon as they are released. Until patches are available, organizations should implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data in AEM forms to prevent script injection. Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) should be configured with rules to detect and block typical XSS payloads targeting AEM endpoints. Organizations should conduct thorough code reviews and penetration testing focused on AEM form inputs to identify and remediate injection points. User awareness training should be enhanced to reduce the risk of successful phishing attacks that could trigger the vulnerability. Additionally, monitoring and logging should be increased to detect anomalous activities indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unusual script execution or unexpected user behavior. Segmentation of AEM systems from critical backend infrastructure can limit lateral movement if exploitation occurs. Finally, organizations should prepare incident response plans specific to web application compromises involving XSS to enable rapid containment and remediation.