CVE-2025-46986 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) versions 6.5.22 and earlier. This vulnerability arises due to 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 a page containing the compromised form field, the malicious script executes in their browser context. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, indicating improper neutralization of input during web page generation. 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 (UI:R), scope changed (S:C), and impacts on confidentiality and integrity (C:L/I:L) but no impact on availability (A:N). The scope change (S:C) suggests that exploitation can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component, potentially impacting other parts of the application or user sessions. While no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability poses a risk of session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the victim user. Given AEM's role as a content management system widely used for enterprise web content delivery, exploitation could lead to significant reputational damage and data leakage.

For European organizations, particularly those using Adobe Experience Manager for managing public-facing websites or intranet portals, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, user session compromise, and potential defacement or manipulation of web content. Attackers exploiting this flaw could target employees, customers, or partners by injecting malicious scripts that steal cookies, perform actions with the victim's privileges, or redirect users to phishing sites. The medium severity rating reflects a moderate risk; however, the impact can be amplified in sectors with high regulatory requirements such as finance, healthcare, and government, where data confidentiality and integrity are paramount. Additionally, the scope change indicates that the attack could affect multiple users or systems beyond the initial vulnerable component, increasing the potential damage. The requirement for user interaction (victims must visit the compromised page) means social engineering or targeted phishing campaigns could be used to maximize exploitation success. Given the widespread use of AEM in Europe, the threat could disrupt business operations, erode customer trust, and lead to regulatory penalties under GDPR if personal data is compromised.

Organizations should prioritize updating Adobe Experience Manager to the latest patched version once available, as no patch links are currently provided but are expected from Adobe. In the interim, administrators should implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data in form fields to prevent script injection. Employing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can help mitigate the impact by restricting the execution of unauthorized scripts. Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) should be configured to detect and block typical XSS payloads targeting AEM endpoints. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security reviews of custom AEM components and templates to ensure no additional injection points exist. User awareness training to recognize suspicious links and phishing attempts can reduce the risk of successful exploitation requiring user interaction. Monitoring web server logs for unusual input patterns and anomalous user behavior can aid in early detection of exploitation attempts. Finally, segmenting AEM infrastructure and limiting user privileges can reduce the scope of potential damage.