CVE-2024-43738
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 6.5.21 and earlier are affected by a DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the victim's browser. This issue occurs when data from a malicious source is processed by a web application and subsequently written to the web page without proper sanitization, allowing for the execution of unintended script code or the alteration of the intended user interface. User interaction is required as the victim must visit a malicious page or view a maliciously crafted link.
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 confidenceDOM-based XSS vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.21 and earlier where unsanitized user input is written to the web page DOM, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in victim's browser through malicious links or pages.
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< 6.5.22.0< 2024.11.0CVSS 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 AEM versionAccess the AEM welcome page or system information console (typically /system/console/configMgr or /libs/granite/core/content/login.html) and locate the AEM version numberAffected if The installed version is below 6.5.22.0 or below 2024.11.0 (if running the newer release cadence)
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Check for custom components handling user inputReview any custom OSGi bundles, Sightly/JSP components, or HTL templates that accept user-supplied data and render it to pages without sanitizationAffected if Custom code writes request parameters or user data directly to the response without output encoding or sanitization
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Audit JavaScript code for DOM manipulationExamine client-side JavaScript files and any custom clientlibs that read URL parameters, form inputs, or cookie values and insert them into the page DOM using innerHTML, document.write, or similar methodsAffected if JavaScript code directly inserts unsanitized user input into the DOM using vulnerable methods
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Identify affected endpoints and URL parametersReview which URLs, parameters, or form fields accept user input and are reflected in page content - test by injecting benign script tags in parameter valuesAffected if User-supplied values from URL parameters or form inputs appear in the rendered HTML without proper encoding
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Review Content Security Policy configurationInspect the CSP headers configured on AEM dispatcher or web server (check httpd.conf, .htaccess, or AEM header configurations)Affected if No CSP headers are configured, or CSP allows inline scripts (unsafe-inline), allowing executed JavaScript to bypass browser protections
You are affected if your AEM version is below 6.5.22.0 (or below 2024.11.0 for the newer release) AND custom components or JavaScript code accept user input and render it to the DOM without sanitization.
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 · scoped6.5.22.02024.11.0
Upgrade to AEM 6.5.22 or later which contains the fix; implement input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data rendered in pages; consider Content Security Policy headers to mitigate XSS impact.
Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.22.0 (6.5.x line) or 2024.11.0 (newer release line)
- Upgrade Adobe Experience Manager to version 6.5.22.0 or later for the 6.5.x release line
- Alternatively, upgrade to version 2024.11.0 or later for the newer release line
- After upgrading, verify the fix by testing that XSS payloads are properly sanitized in the affected components
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 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-2024-43738 — 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-2024-43738 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data