CVE-2024-36220
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 Answer: 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 requires user interaction, such as convincing a victim to click on a specially crafted link or to submit a form that triggers the malicious script.
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. Attackers can inject malicious JavaScript through specially crafted links or forms, which executes in the victim's browser context when interacted with, potentially compromising session data or performing actions on behalf of the user.
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 Adobe Experience Manager versionAccess the AEM Web Console (usually at /system/console/config) or check the crx-quickstart/package.properties file for the product.version property. Alternatively, query the JMX console or check the About Adobe Experience Manager page in the UI.Affected if The installed version is 6.5.20 or earlier, OR the version is between 6.5.21 and 2024.5 (exclusive of 2024.5), indicating it falls before the fixed release.
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Confirm AEM web interface exposureVerify that AEM author or publish instances are accessible over HTTP/HTTPS. Check network bindings in the AEM configuration and test access to common AEM paths such as /, /libs, or any exposed content pages.Affected if The AEM web interface is accessible without additional authentication controls, making it possible for attackers to craft malicious links targeting users.
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Check for presence of user-generated content endpointsReview AEM for exposed endpoints that accept user input and render content without proper encoding. Common paths include Form components, Search components, or custom sling scripts under /apps or /libs that handle query parameters.Affected if Endpoints that render user-supplied input in the HTML response without output encoding are present and accessible, which would allow the DOM XSS to execute.
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Audit custom components handling URL parametersReview custom OSGi components, servlets, or HTL scripts that read request parameters (such as query strings or form data) and insert them directly into the DOM. Search codebases for patterns like request.getParameter followed by innerHTML or document.write.Affected if Custom components that directly inject URL parameters into the DOM without sanitization are deployed and active.
Your environment is affected if AEM version is less than 6.5.21 or less than 2024.5 AND the web interface with user-facing endpoints is accessible to potential attackers.
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
Upgrade to Adobe Experience Manager version 6.5.21 or later. Additionally, implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and output encoding on affected endpoints to provide defense-in-depth against XSS attacks.
AEM 6.5.21 (for 6.5.x line) or AEM 2024.6+ (for 2024.x release train)
- 1. Back up the current AEM instance, including the repository, configuration, and custom code.
- 2. Review the AEM 6.5.21 release notes for any changes that may affect your instance.
- 3. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first to ensure compatibility with custom code and integrations.
- 4. Download Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.21 or later from the Adobe Software Distribution portal.
- 5. Stop the AEM instance and perform the upgrade following Adobe's documented upgrade procedure.
- 6. After upgrade, verify that all custom bundles, components, and workflows function correctly.
- 7. Validate the XSS vulnerability is remediated by testing with the identified attack vectors.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-36220 — 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-2024-36220 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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