CVE-2024-53965
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 be exploited by a low privileged attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the victim's browser session. By manipulating a DOM element through a crafted URL or user input, the attacker can inject malicious scripts that run when the page is rendered. This type of attack requires user interaction, as the victim would need to access a manipulated link or input data into a vulnerable page.
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 Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.21 and earlier. A low-privileged attacker can inject malicious scripts by manipulating DOM elements through crafted URLs or user input, which execute when the page renders in the victim's browser. Exploitation requires user interaction.
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< 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 installed Adobe Experience Manager versionAccess the AEM Welcome page or check the product info via the system console (navigate to /system/console/status-productinfo or check the 'About Adobe Experience Manager' option from the help menu)Affected if The version listed is below 6.5.22 or below 2024.11.0 (e.g., 6.5.21, 6.5.20, etc.)
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Audit custom components for DOM manipulationReview custom OSGi bundles or HTL/Sightly templates in /apps for code that uses innerHTML, document.write, or similar DOM APIs with user-supplied data without encodingAffected if Custom components accept request parameters or content properties and insert them into the DOM without using AEM's encoding utilities (such as @Context=html in HTL)
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Check for unvalidated query parameters in published pagesExamine custom request filters or servlets that read query parameters (request.getParameter) and pass them to page output, particularly in author or publish tier componentsAffected if URL parameters are directly rendered in page output without server-side encoding or client-side sanitization
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Review form components and user input handlersInspect form handlers, Granite UI components, or custom widgets in /libs and /apps that process user input and render it back in the responseAffected if User-submitted data from forms or dialogs is reflected in the HTML output without proper XSS protection
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Examine third-party or community componentsList all installed packages via /crx/packmgr/service.jsp or the Package Manager, and review any third-party or custom code bundles for DOM-based XSS patternsAffected if Non-Adobe packages are installed that contain client-side code handling user input unsafely
Your environment is affected if running AEM version 6.5.21 or earlier, or any version below 2024.11.0, AND custom or third-party components handle user input in the DOM without 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 · scoped6.5.222024.11.0
Upgrade Adobe Experience Manager to version 6.5.22 or later. Additionally, implement input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data before DOM manipulation.
AEM 6.5.22+ (on-premises) or AEM as a Cloud Service 2024.11.0+
- 1. Identify your current Adobe Experience Manager deployment type (AEM 6.5 on-premises or AEM as a Cloud Service)
- 2. For AEM 6.5 on-premises: Schedule maintenance window and back up your current installation
- 3. Download Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.22 or later from the Adobe distribution center (software.adobe.com)
- 4. Stop the AEM instance(s) in your environment
- 5. Install the AEM 6.5.22 (or later) update package following Adobe's standard upgrade documentation
- 6. For AEM as a Cloud Service: Ensure your environment is updated to the 2024.11.0 release or later through the Cloud Manager pipeline
- 7. After upgrade, verify that the AEM instance starts successfully and all critical services are operational
- 8. Test the specific DOM-based XSS fix by verifying that user-supplied input in DOM elements is properly escaped/rendered
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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-2024-53965 — 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-2024-53965 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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