CVE-2026-48261
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 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 confidenceA DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager allows attackers to manipulate the DOM environment to execute malicious JavaScript within a victim's browser. Exploitation requires user interaction where the victim must visit a crafted webpage.
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
- 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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Determine Adobe Experience Manager versionCheck the version by viewing the manifest file at crx-quickstart/org.apache.jackrabbit-oak-core/target/classes/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/version.properties, or by examining the filename of the quickstart JAR file (e.g., aem-author-p4502.jar), or by accessing the AEM Web Console at /system/console/bundles and checking the bundle informationAffected if The installed version is 6.5 (any build), 6.5.25.0 or earlier, or 2020.5.0 or earlier
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Identify custom client-side componentsReview the /apps directory in CRX/DE (accessible at /crx/de) for custom HTL templates, JavaScript files, or clientlibs that perform DOM manipulation. Look for files in /apps/my-project/clientlibs or similar custom code locationsAffected if Custom client-side code exists that manipulates the DOM based on user-controlled input without sanitization
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Check for unsafe DOM operations in custom codeSearch custom JavaScript and HTL files for common unsafe DOM patterns such as innerHTML赋值, outerHTML赋值, document.write(), eval(), or jQuery .html() calls that may process URL parameters or form inputs. Use CRX/DE to grep through /apps for these patternsAffected if Custom code contains DOM manipulation functions that use unsanitized input from URL parameters, form fields, or user-controllable sources
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Audit third-party AEM componentsReview installed AEM packages via Package Manager (at /crx/packmgr) and check for third-party bundles or components that may include client-side code. List all installed packages and their versionsAffected if Third-party packages with client-side components are installed that could contain the vulnerable DOM manipulation logic
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Review Content Security Policy configurationCheck the Apache Sling main servlet configuration or dispatcher configuration for CSP headers. Look at /system/console/configMgr for org.apache.sling.engine.impl.SlingMainServlet or check the Apache dispatcher .conf files for Content-Security-Policy header definitionsAffected if No CSP headers are defined, or CSP allows unsafe-inline scripts, which would enable exploitation of DOM-based XSS
A user is affected if their AEM version falls within the affected ranges AND custom or third-party client-side code exists that performs unsafe DOM manipulation with user-controlled input.
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 · scopedImplement proper sanitization of user-controlled input before DOM manipulation, deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution, and audit AEM client-side components for unsafe DOM operations.
AEM 6.5.26.0 or later; AEM as a Cloud Service 2020.5.1 or later
- 1. Identify the current Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) version running in your environment.
- 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on your current version: if using AEM 6.5.x, upgrade to 6.5.26.0 or later; if using AEM as a Cloud Service, upgrade to 2020.5.1 or later.
- 3. Review the Adobe security bulletin (helpx.adobe.com) for CVE-2026-48261 for complete version details and release notes.
- 4. Perform a full backup of the AEM instance including repository, database, and configuration files.
- 5. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment before deploying to production.
- 6. Apply the upgrade following Adobe's standard upgrade procedures for your deployment type.
- 7. Verify the fix by confirming the AEM version matches the fixed release.
- 8. Validate that the DOM-based XSS vulnerability is resolved by testing the specific vector mentioned in the CVE.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-48261 — 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-2026-48261 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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