Overview
Adobe Experience Manager, a comprehensive content management solution for building websites, mobile apps and forms, is currently facing a severe security flaw. Identified as CVE-2025-46840, this vulnerability affects versions 6.5.22 and earlier. This improper authorization vulnerability could be exploited by attackers to escalate their privileges, bypassing security measures and gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data.
This flaw is a significant concern for businesses and organizations that rely on Adobe Experience Manager for their digital experiences. If exploited, it could compromise system integrity, confidentiality, leading to potential data leakage or even complete system takeover, significantly impacting the affected entity’s business operations and reputation.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-46840
Severity: High (CVSS: 8.7)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage.
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Adobe Experience Manager | 6.5.22 and earlier
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability arises from improper authorization in Adobe Experience Manager. An attacker with low-level privileges can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests to the server. This bypasses the security measures in place, allowing the attacker to escalate their privileges. Once the attacker has higher-level privileges, they can manipulate the system, potentially taking over sessions and gaining unauthorized access to confidential data.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability may be exploited. Please note that this is a simplified example for illustrative purposes and doesn’t represent an actual exploit code.
POST /aem/start.html HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"user": "low_privilege_user",
"action": "escalate_privilege",
"target": "high_privilege_function"
}In this example, a low privilege user sends a POST request to escalate their privileges and gain access to high privilege functions.
Mitigation and Prevention
Adobe has released a patch to address this vulnerability. Affected users are strongly encouraged to update their Adobe Experience Manager to the latest version as soon as possible. As a temporary mitigation, users can deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS). These measures can help identify and block malicious attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, they are not a substitute for applying the official patch. Regular patching and updates are critical components of a robust cybersecurity strategy.