CVE-2023-22264
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows low-privilege authenticated attackers to create malicious links that redirect users to untrusted websites when clicked. It affects Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.15.0 and earlier. Exploitation requires user interaction, making it a client-side attack vector.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Experience Manager
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Users could be redirected to phishing sites that steal credentials or deliver malware, potentially leading to account compromise or system infection.
Likely Case
Attackers use crafted links to redirect users to phishing pages or malicious content, potentially harvesting credentials or delivering social engineering attacks.
If Mitigated
With proper user awareness training and URL validation controls, impact is limited to potential reputation damage from malicious links.
🎯 Exploit Status
Attack requires authenticated access and user interaction; simple to exploit once authenticated.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 6.5.16.0 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/experience-manager/apsb23-18.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download AEM 6.5.16.0 or later from Adobe distribution. 2. Backup current installation. 3. Apply the update following Adobe's upgrade procedures. 4. Restart AEM services.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allImplement server-side validation to reject or sanitize URLs with external domains in redirect parameters
Configure AEM dispatcher or application filters to validate redirect URLs
User Awareness Training
allTrain users to recognize suspicious URLs and report unexpected redirects
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block open redirect patterns
- Restrict user permissions to minimize authenticated attack surface
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check AEM version via OSGi console or CRXDE; if version is 6.5.15.0 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
curl -u admin:admin http://localhost:4502/system/console/status-productinfoVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify version is 6.5.16.0 or later and test redirect functionality with external URLs.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual redirect patterns in access logs
- Requests with external URLs in parameters
- Multiple failed redirect attempts
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections to suspicious domains following AEM redirects
- Unusual redirect chains in HTTP traffic
SIEM Query:
source="aem_access.log" AND (url="*redirect=*" OR url="*url=*") AND (url="*http://*" OR url="*https://*")