CVE-2026-48252
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 is affected by a Missing Authentication for Critical Function vulnerability that could result in a Security feature bypass. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass security measures and gain unauthorized write access. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction. 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 · moderate confidenceAdobe Experience Manager contains a missing authentication vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass security controls and gain unauthorized write access to the system without any user interaction. The scope change indicates the vulnerability impacts components beyond the vulnerable component itself.
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<= 2020.5.0= 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/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 console at /system/console/bundles or check the crx-quickstart/package.log file for the version number. Alternatively, query the version endpoint if accessible.Affected if The installed version is 6.5.25.0 or lower, 2020.5.0 or lower, or exactly 6.5 (without service packs).
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Verify AEM login requirement on write endpointsAttempt to access common write endpoints (such as /content/ or API endpoints that accept POST/PUT requests) without providing authentication credentials. Use a web proxy or curl to send an unauthenticated write request.Affected if The system accepts and processes write operations without returning an authentication challenge (401) or redirecting to a login page.
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Check for exposed admin interfacesAccess the AEM Web Console at /system/console without authentication. Also check if the CRX DE Lite interface at /crx/de is accessible without login.Affected if Administrative interfaces or development tools are accessible without authentication credentials.
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Inspect authentication configurationReview the Apache Sling Authentication Service configuration in the OSGi console at /system/console/config or check the org.apache.sling.authentication.impl.AuthenticationConfiguration PID for authentication requirements on paths.Affected if Critical paths (especially /content or API endpoints) are configured to not require authentication, or authentication is set to OPTIONAL where it should be REQUIRED.
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Test for unauthorized API accessSend unauthenticated requests to common AEM API endpoints (REST API, GraphQL endpoints, or asset upload paths) using a tool like curl or Burp Suite. Observe if write operations succeed.Affected if Write operations complete successfully without any authentication token or session.
A user is affected if their AEM version falls within 6.5.25.0 or lower, 2020.5.0 or lower, or exactly 6.5, AND the system permits unauthenticated write operations to critical endpoints.
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 · scopedApply Adobe's security patches for AEM and implement proper authentication enforcement for all critical functions and endpoints. Restrict network access to administrative interfaces and verify all write operations require valid authentication.
AEM 6.5.26.0 or later; AEM as a Cloud Service 2020.6.0 or later
- 1. Identify your current Adobe Experience Manager version in the AEM Web Console (System > Dashboard or by checking the version.properties file)
- 2. If running AEM 6.5 on-premise, upgrade to AEM 6.5.26.0 or later
- 3. If running AEM as a Cloud Service, ensure deployment uses version 2020.6.0 or later
- 4. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment before deploying to production
- 5. After upgrade, verify the security fix by checking Adobe security bulletin for the specific patch details
- 6. Deploy the patched version to production environment
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,144.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-48252 — 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-2026-48252 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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