CVE-2025-46996 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, 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, reflecting a medium severity level. The vector indicates network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), user interaction (UI:R), scope change (S:C), and impacts confidentiality and integrity to a limited extent (C:L/I:L), but no impact on availability (A:N). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. Stored XSS vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they can be used to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of users, or deliver further malware payloads. Given that AEM is a widely used enterprise content management system, exploitation could lead to compromise of sensitive data and user accounts within affected organizations.

For European organizations using Adobe Experience Manager, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of their web applications and user data. Attackers exploiting this flaw could hijack user sessions, deface websites, or conduct phishing attacks by injecting malicious scripts that appear to originate from trusted sources. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate information, leakage of personal data protected under GDPR, and damage to organizational reputation. Since AEM is often used by government agencies, financial institutions, and large enterprises in Europe, the impact could extend to critical infrastructure and services. The requirement for low privileges and user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation, increasing the likelihood of targeted attacks. However, the absence of known exploits and the medium severity score suggest that immediate widespread exploitation is not yet observed, but organizations should remain vigilant.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigation strategies: 1) Immediately audit all AEM instances to identify versions 6.5.22 and earlier and prioritize upgrading to the latest patched version once available from Adobe. 2) Until patches are released, implement strict input validation and output encoding on all form fields to neutralize potentially malicious scripts. 3) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts within the browser context. 4) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on XSS vulnerabilities in AEM deployments. 5) Educate users and administrators about the risks of clicking on suspicious links or interacting with untrusted content within AEM portals. 6) Monitor web application logs for unusual input patterns or script injection attempts. 7) Utilize web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules tailored to detect and block XSS payloads targeting AEM. These measures, combined with timely patching, will reduce the attack surface and mitigate exploitation risks.