CVE-2025-46987 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) versions 6.5.22 and earlier. This vulnerability allows a low-privileged attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code into vulnerable form fields within the AEM environment. When a victim user accesses a page containing the compromised form field, the injected script executes in their browser context. Stored XSS differs from reflected XSS in that the malicious payload is permanently stored on the server side, increasing the likelihood of repeated exploitation and broader impact. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding in form fields, which fail to sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in the web interface. 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 required (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 indicates that the vulnerability affects components beyond the initially vulnerable component, potentially impacting other parts of the system or users. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and no official patches have been linked yet. However, given the nature of stored XSS, exploitation could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users with access to the affected AEM instance. Adobe Experience Manager is widely used by enterprises for content management and digital experience delivery, making this vulnerability a significant concern for organizations relying on AEM for their web presence and internal portals.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-46987 can be substantial, especially for those using Adobe Experience Manager to manage public-facing websites, intranets, or customer portals. Exploitation could lead to theft of sensitive user data, including session tokens and credentials, enabling attackers to impersonate legitimate users or escalate privileges. This can result in unauthorized access to confidential information, defacement of websites, or distribution of malware to end users. The confidentiality and integrity of data processed or displayed via AEM could be compromised, undermining trust and potentially violating data protection regulations such as the GDPR. Additionally, reputational damage and financial losses could arise from customer data breaches or service disruptions caused by malicious scripts. The requirement for user interaction (victim visiting the compromised page) means social engineering or phishing campaigns could be used to increase exploitation success. The medium severity rating suggests moderate risk, but the widespread use of AEM in Europe and the persistent nature of stored XSS make this a relevant threat vector for targeted attacks or opportunistic exploitation.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should prioritize the following actions: 1) Monitor Adobe’s official security advisories and apply patches or updates as soon as they become available. 2) Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data within AEM forms, employing context-aware encoding to prevent script injection. 3) Use Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of potential XSS payloads. 4) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on web application vulnerabilities, including stored XSS, within AEM deployments. 5) Educate users and administrators about the risks of clicking on suspicious links or interacting with untrusted content hosted on AEM-managed sites. 6) Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules tailored to detect and block XSS attack patterns targeting AEM. 7) Review and restrict user privileges to minimize the ability of low-privileged users to inject malicious content. 8) Implement robust logging and monitoring to detect anomalous activities indicative of exploitation attempts. These measures, combined with timely patching, will significantly reduce the risk posed by this vulnerability.