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Experience Manager FormsApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-54254

HIGH · 8.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 6.5.23.0 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.23 and earlier are affected by an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access sensitive files on the local file system, scope is changed. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.

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 confidence

Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.23 and earlier contain an XXE (XML External Entity) vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious XML entities, enabling arbitrary file system read access. The vulnerability is exploitable without user interaction, making it particularly dangerous.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Experience Manager to version 6.5.24 or later to obtain the vendor patch. Additionally, configure XML parsers to disable external entity processing as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
Experience Manager FormsApplication
Affected:<= 6.5.23.0

CVSS 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
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify AEM Forms installation
    Locate the AEM installation directory and verify the Adobe Experience Manager Forms component is present. Check for forms-related WAR files, bundles, or packages in the AEM installation.
    Affected if AEM Forms component is found in the environment
  2. Determine AEM Forms version
    Access the AEM System Information console (typically at /system/console/bundles or /crx/packmgr) or check the version manifest file within the Forms package. Compare the installed version against the affected range: versions 6.5.23.0 and earlier.
    Affected if Installed version is 6.5.23.0 or earlier
  3. Identify XML input endpoints
    Review AEM Forms configuration for XML import, data capture, or document services endpoints that accept XML submissions. Check web.xml or servlet registrations for XML-handling endpoints.
    Affected if XML input endpoints are exposed and accessible without authentication
  4. Verify XML parser configuration
    Inspect the XML parser configuration used by AEM Forms services. Check whether external entity resolution is explicitly disabled in the parser settings. Look for configurations related to DocumentBuilderFactory or SAXParserFactory.
    Affected if XML parsers allow external entity resolution (XXE) or no explicit XXE protection is configured

The environment is affected if AEM Forms version 6.5.23.0 or earlier is installed with exposed XML parsing endpoints that do not have XXE protections explicitly configured.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 6.5.23.0
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Experience Manager to version 6.5.24 or later to obtain the vendor patch. Additionally, configure XML parsers to disable external entity processing as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

AEM Forms 6.5.24.0 or later service pack

  1. Check the Adobe Experience Manager Forms current version by navigating to the AEM Felix Console or using the version info in the system console
  2. Access the Adobe Software Distribution portal at https://experience.adobe.com/downloads/ and download the latest AEM Forms release for version 6.5
  3. Review the Adobe HelpX documentation at helpx.adobe.com for AEM Forms 6.5 release notes to identify the fixed version (typically AEM 6.5.24.0 or later contains the security fix)
  4. Plan an upgrade or apply the latest service pack following Adobe's documented upgrade procedures
  5. After upgrading, verify the AEM Forms version reflects the patched release in the system console
Caveat Review Adobe's service pack release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes before applying

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Experience Manager Forms Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-54254 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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