CVE-2024-36184
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 · uneditedAdobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.20 and earlier are affected by a DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. This vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of the victim's browser session. Exploitation of this issue typically requires user interaction, such as convincing a user to click on a malicious link or to submit a specially crafted form.
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 versions 6.5.20 and earlier contain a DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. The vulnerability exists in client-side code where user-supplied input is improperly handled before being inserted into the DOM, allowing an attacker to inject malicious JavaScript that executes in 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< 6.5.21< 2024.5CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 installed AEM versionAccess the AEM Welcome page or check the product version through the Help menu. Alternatively, check the file 'crx-quickstart/conf/org.apache.felix.framework.properties' or use the Groovy console with 'org.apache.sling.jcr.base.internal.LoginAdminService@version' to retrieve the exact version number.Affected if The version is 6.5.20 or earlier, or any version below 6.5.21 or 2024.5.
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Confirm AEM deployment typeDetermine if the deployment uses AEM 6.5.x or the AEM as a Cloud Service model, as both branches have independent version tracking.Affected if Running AEM 6.5.20 or earlier, or any release prior to the 2024.5 update for Cloud Service.
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Identify custom or third-party components with user input handlingReview all custom OSGi bundles, HTL templates, or client-side JavaScript files that process form submissions, search queries, URL parameters, or any user-supplied content that could be reflected in the browser.Affected if Custom components exist that accept and render user input in the page without server-side sanitization.
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Inspect client-side code for unsafe DOM manipulationExamine JavaScript files and HTL (Sightly) templates for patterns like innerHTML, outerHTML, document.write, or jQuery .html() that insert unvalidated user input directly into the DOM.Affected if Code exists that inserts user-supplied values directly into the DOM without using safe methods like textContent, innerText, or applying output encoding.
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Review input sources reaching client-side codeTrace the data flow from HTTP request parameters, form fields, JSON API responses, or CQ/ACS Commons components to identify where user input enters the client-side rendering path.Affected if User-provided data flows from request parameters or API responses directly into DOM insertion points without validation or encoding.
You are affected if your AEM version is 6.5.20 or earlier, or below 2024.5 for Cloud Service, and you have custom components that insert unsanitized user input into the DOM.
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 · scoped6.5.212024.5
Apply the vendor patch for AEM 6.5.21 or later. Until patch is available, implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and validate/sanitize all user input before DOM insertion in affected components.
Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.21 or 2024.5 and later
- Verify current Adobe Experience Manager version in use (check /system/console/bundles or AEM startup logs)
- Review Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.21 or 2024.5 release notes for changes, deprecations, and known issues
- Perform a complete backup of the AEM repository (segment store), database, and configuration files
- Test the upgrade in a staging or development environment before production deployment
- Stop all AEM instances and related services
- Run the upgrade following Adobe's official migration/upgrade documentation
- After upgrade, verify that all custom code, bundles, and integrations function correctly
- Validate the fix by confirming the AEM version shows 6.5.21 or 2024.5 (or later)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-36184 — 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-2024-36184 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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