CVE-2023-22266
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows low-privilege authenticated attackers to create malicious links that redirect Adobe Experience Manager users to untrusted websites. It affects AEM versions 6.5.15.0 and earlier. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as clicking a crafted link.
💻 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 in phishing campaigns to redirect authenticated users to malicious sites for credential harvesting or social engineering.
If Mitigated
With proper user awareness training and URL validation controls, impact is limited to unsuccessful phishing attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Attack requires authenticated access and user interaction; trivial to craft malicious URLs once vulnerability is understood
🛠️ 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 portal. 2. Apply the Service Pack following Adobe's installation guide. 3. Restart AEM instance. 4. Verify successful installation via AEM welcome screen.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allImplement custom servlet filter to validate and sanitize URL parameters before processing
Implement Java servlet filter with URL validation logic
User Awareness Training
allEducate users about phishing risks and suspicious links
🧯 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 welcome screen or system/console/status-productinfo endpoint; versions 6.5.15.0 or earlier are vulnerableCheck Version:
curl -k https://<aem-host>:<port>/system/console/status-productinfo | grep 'Adobe Experience Manager'Verify Fix Applied:
Verify AEM version is 6.5.16.0 or later; test redirect functionality with crafted URLs📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual redirect patterns in access logs
- Multiple failed redirect attempts from same user
Network Indicators:
- HTTP 302 redirects to external domains
- Suspicious URL parameters in requests
SIEM Query:
source="aem-access.log" AND (status=302 OR status=301) AND uri="*redirect=*" AND NOT dest_domain="*.adobe.com"