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Experience ManagerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2026-48359

CRITICAL · 9.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2020.5.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click 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 an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE') vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. A low-privileged attacker could exploit this vulnerability to read sensitive files, potentially gaining elevated access or control over the victim's account or session. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction. Scope is changed.

In the news

Third-party coverage
Trending covered by 3 outlets this week · latest 1mo ago

Surfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.

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 contains an XXE vulnerability allowing low-privileged attackers to read sensitive files via crafted XML with external entity references, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution in the current user's context without user interaction.

MitigationDisable external entity processing in XML parsers across AEM, apply available vendor patches, and validate that XML input processing properly restricts external entity references.

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
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

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

  1. Identify installed AEM version
    Access AEM Web Console (usually at /system/console/config) or check the version file in the installation directory. Use the AEM SDK or crx-quickstart folder to find the version number.
    Affected if The installed version is <= 6.5.25.0, <= 2020.5.0, or exactly 6.5
  2. Locate XML processing configurations
    Search for XML parser configurations in AEM Web Console under OSGi components, particularly looking for DocumentBuilderFactory or SAXParserFactory settings in the /system/console/configMgr interface.
    Affected if XML parser configurations exist and external entity processing is not explicitly disabled (feature is enabled by default in unpatched versions)
  3. Review XML upload/download endpoints
    Identify AEM assets, DAM, or custom workflows that accept or process XML files. Check workflows under /etc/workflow/models and any custom asset upload handlers.
    Affected if The environment uses any endpoint, workflow, or functionality that processes user-supplied or external XML content without disabling external entities
  4. Check parser security settings
    Inspect Java system properties or AEM org.apache.jackrabbit.xml.* configurations. Look for the 'javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory' and 'xmlExternalEntityAccess' related settings in the OSGi config console.
    Affected if External entity processing is allowed or the XXE protection flag is not set to false/disabled

A user is affected if their AEM version falls within the <= 6.5.25.0, <= 2020.5.0, or = 6.5 ranges AND the system processes XML content with external entity support enabled.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2020.5.0
Interim mitigation

Disable external entity processing in XML parsers across AEM, apply available vendor patches, and validate that XML input processing properly restricts external entity references.

Fix this in Experience Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.

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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-2026-48359 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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