CVE-2021-44178
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAEM's Cloud Service offering, as well as version 6.5.10.0 (and below) are affected by a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability via the itemResourceType parameter. If an attacker is able to convince a victim to visit a URL referencing a vulnerable page, malicious JavaScript content may be executed within the context of the victim's browser
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAdobe Experience Manager (AEM) contains a reflected XSS vulnerability in the itemResourceType parameter, affecting Cloud Service and versions 6.5.10.0 and below. Attackers can craft malicious URLs that, when visited by authenticated users, execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the victim's browser session.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 6.5.10.0all versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the AEM deployment typeDetermine if the environment is AEM Cloud Service (all versions affected) or on-premises AEM. Check the hosting context, cloud console, or system information at /system/console/productinfo if accessible.Affected if The environment is AEM Cloud Service (any version) or AEM on-premises with version 6.5.10.0 or lower.
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Check the AEM on-premises versionAccess /system/console/productinfo (requires admin credentials) or check the crx-quickstart/conf folder for version.properties. Compare the installed version against the affected range <= 6.5.10.0.Affected if The installed AEM on-premises version is 6.5.10.0 or below.
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Inspect for usage of the itemResourceType parameterSearch the codebase (JavaScript, JSP, HTL files) for occurrences of 'itemResourceType' parameter usage, particularly in dynamic content paths or component rendering logic.Affected if The application uses the itemResourceType parameter in any user-accessible URL or component configuration.
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Check for accessible endpoints using itemResourceTypeReview web logs or access patterns for URLs containing 'itemResourceType' as a parameter. Common paths include /mnt/overlay, /mnt/segment, or Coral UI component endpoints.Affected if URLs with the itemResourceType parameter are being processed by the application.
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Verify if output encoding is appliedIf itemResourceType parameter usage is found, inspect the code handling this parameter to determine if proper output encoding or validation is applied before rendering.Affected if The itemResourceType parameter is not properly encoded before being reflected in HTML output.
A user is affected if they run AEM Cloud Service (any version) or AEM on-premises version 6.5.10.0 or below, AND the itemResourceType parameter is used in accessible URLs without proper output encoding.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to AEM version 6.5.11.0 or later / Cloud Service release containing the fix, and implement output encoding for the itemResourceType parameter. Users should be wary of clicking untrusted URLs.
AEM 6.5.11.0 or later (for on-premises); Cloud Service patches managed by Adobe
- 1. For AEM 6.5 on-premises: Upgrade the AEM instance to version 6.5.11.0 or later, which contains the security fix for this reflected XSS vulnerability.
- 2. Verify the upgrade in a non-production environment before deploying to production.
- 3. Test that the itemResourceType parameter is properly sanitized and no longer allows script injection.
- 4. For AEM Cloud Service: Contact Adobe support or confirm with Adobe that your Cloud Service instance has received the security update (Adobe manages patches for Cloud Service automatically).
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-44178 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-44178 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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