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Experience ManagerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2026-48257

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2020.5.0 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 5 weeks old

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 is 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 · moderate confidence

DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager where attackers can manipulate the DOM environment to execute malicious JavaScript within the victim's browser. Exploitation requires user interaction (victim must visit a crafted webpage). The 'scope changed' indicates the attack can impact resources beyond the vulnerable AEM component.

MitigationIdentify and sanitize the vulnerable DOM manipulation points in AEM's client-side code, ensuring all user-controlled input is properly escaped before being inserted into the DOM.

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 ManagerApplication
Affected:<= 6.5.25.0<= 2020.5.0= 6.5

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed AEM version
    Access the AEM Web Console (typically at /system/console/bundles) or check the manifest file in the AEM installation directory. Run: 'curl -s http://<aem-host>:<port>/system/console/bundles' and look for Adobe Experience Manager version information in the response.
    Affected if The installed version is <= 6.5.25.0, <= 2020.5.0, or equals 6.5
  2. Confirm AEM edition and build
    Check the AEM welcome page footer or access /libs/granite/core/content/login.html to view the version string. The version should display as 6.5.x or 2020.x format.
    Affected if The version string matches the affected ranges (6.5.x <= 6.5.25.0 or 2020.x <= 2020.5.0)
  3. Verify client-side code is exposed
    Inspect AEM's clientlib directories (/etc/clientlibs) accessible via CRXDE Lite or by browsing to /libs/granite/ui/components/. Examine if custom or core AEM client-side JavaScript handles URL parameters or DOM insertion without sanitization.
    Affected if AEM is running with accessible client-side libraries that perform DOM manipulation using user-controlled input
  4. Check for unauthenticated content access
    Review AEM dispatcher configuration and public-facing endpoints. Test if unauthenticated users can access CRXDE Lite or developer tools at /crx/de or /system/console.
    Affected if Unauthenticated access to development tools is possible, increasing attack surface for DOM-based XSS delivery

Your AEM instance is affected if it runs version 6.5.25.0 or earlier within the 6.5.x line, version 2020.5.0 or earlier within the 2020.x line, or exactly version 6.5, AND exposes client-side code that performs DOM manipulation with unsanitized input.

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 2020.5.0
Interim mitigation

Identify and sanitize the vulnerable DOM manipulation points in AEM's client-side code, ensuring all user-controlled input is properly escaped before being inserted into the DOM.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

AEM 6.5.26.0 or later for 6.5.x deployments; latest 2020.x release for AEM as a Cloud Service

  1. 1. Identify the current Adobe Experience Manager version in use by checking the AEM welcome page or system console (About Adobe Experience Manager).
  2. 2. For AEM 6.5.x installations: Upgrade to version 6.5.26.0 or later, which contains the security fix for this DOM-based XSS vulnerability.
  3. 3. For AEM as a Cloud Service (2020.x): Upgrade to a version newer than 2020.5.0 that includes the security patch.
  4. 4. After upgrading, clear browser caches and test the application to ensure normal functionality.
  5. 5. Verify the fix by confirming the AEM version matches the fixed release and testing for the specific XSS vector mentioned in the security bulletin.
Caveat Review Adobe's release notes for 6.5.26.0 to check for any deprecated features or breaking changes that may affect custom components or integrations.

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

Fix this in Experience Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2026-48257 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