CVE-2026-48251
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 6.5.24, LTS SP1, 2026.04 and earlier are affected by a DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. An attacker could exploit this issue by manipulating the DOM environment to execute malicious JavaScript within the context of the victim's browser. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must visit a crafted webpage. Scope is changed.
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 allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript into the DOM by manipulating the browser environment. The attack requires user interaction (victim visits crafted webpage) and achieves a scope change, potentially affecting components beyond the vulnerable AEM instance.
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< 6.5.25.0< 2026.5.0= 6.5CVSS 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 system information page (typically at /system/console/bundles or /libs/cq/core/content/info.xml) or check the version.properties file in the AEM installation directory to retrieve the exact version numberAffected if The installed version is 6.5.24, LTS SP1, 2026.04, or any version below 6.5.25.0 or 2026.5.0 within the 6.5 LTS line
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Confirm the AEM release trackDetermine whether the installation is the long-term support (LTS) 6.5 line or the quarterly release cycle (2026.x line) by reviewing the version identifier obtained from the systemAffected if The version falls under the 6.5 LTS line without the 6.5.25.0 patch, or is any 2026.x version prior to 2026.5.0
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Identify exposed AEM componentsReview the AEM web console and published instances to determine which components, pages, or endpoints are exposed to end users and can be manipulated for DOM inputAffected if Any user-facing AEM components that accept or reflect input into the DOM without proper encoding are present and accessible
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Check for DOM reflection in custom componentsAudit custom AEM components, templates, or third-party extensions for code that manipulates the DOM using user-supplied input (such as innerHTML, document.write, or similar methods)Affected if Custom components that directly insert unsanitized user input into the DOM are present in the environment
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Verify user access to vulnerable endpointsEnumerate which AEM pages, forms, or interactive elements are accessible to anonymous or low-privileged users, as the XSS requires victim interaction with a crafted webpageAffected if Unauthenticated or low-privilege users can access AEM pages that contain the vulnerable DOM manipulation behavior
The environment is affected if the installed AEM version is any 6.5.x version below 6.5.25.0, any 2026.x version below 2026.5.0, or matches LTS SP1/6.5.24/2026.04, AND user-accessible components that manipulate the DOM with unsanitized input are present.
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 · scoped6.5.25.02026.5.0
Apply the vendor patch for AEM (version 6.5.24+ or LTS SP1+) and implement Content Security Policy headers to mitigate DOM-based XSS vectors.
Adobe Experience Manager 6.5.25.0 or later, or 2026.5.0 or later
- Back up the current Adobe Experience Manager instance and all content repositories
- Review the Adobe Experience Manager upgrade documentation for your current version
- Upgrade Adobe Experience Manager to version 6.5.25.0 or later (for 6.5 LTS releases)
- Alternatively, upgrade to version 2026.5.0 or later (for the 2026 release track)
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the AEM version in the Help menu or system console
- Test that the DOM-based XSS vulnerability has been addressed by verifying the fix
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-48251 — 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-2026-48251 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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