Overview
The vulnerability, CVE-2025-53691, is a significant security risk that impacts certain versions of Sitecore Experience Manager (XM) and Sitecore Experience Platform (XP). These popular content management systems are used by many businesses worldwide, and the vulnerability allows for Remote Code Execution (RCE), potentially leading to system compromise or data leaks. The severity of this vulnerability, coupled with the wide usage of these programs, underscores the urgency for immediate action and mitigation.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-53691
Severity: High (8.8 CVSS v3.1)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Sitecore Experience Manager (XM) | 9.0 to 9.3, 10.0 to 10.4
Sitecore Experience Platform (XP) | 9.0 to 9.3, 10.0 to 10.4
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability arises from the deserialization of untrusted data. Deserialization is the process of converting a stream of bytes back into a copy of the original object. In this case, an attacker can exploit the vulnerability by sending maliciously crafted data to the server, which is then deserialized and executed. This allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the server and potentially gain control over the system or leak data.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a simplified and hypothetical example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. The attacker sends a POST request with a malicious payload to a vulnerable endpoint.
POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "malicious_payload": "Serialized_Object_That_Executes_Malicious_Code_When_Deserialized" }In this conceptual example, the “malicious_payload” is a serialized object that, when deserialized by the server, executes malicious code. This code could do anything that the server has permission to do, which might include accessing, modifying, or deleting data, or even taking control of the server.
How to Mitigate the Vulnerability
The recommended way to mitigate this vulnerability is to apply the patch provided by the vendor, Sitecore. This patch fixes the vulnerability at the source and prevents it from being exploited. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used as a temporary measure to detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, these are only stopgap measures and the patch should be applied as soon as possible to fully secure your systems.
