Adobe has recently issued an urgent security update for its Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms on Java Enterprise Edition (JEE) to address two critical zero-day vulnerabilities: CVE-2025-54253 and CVE-2025-54254. These vulnerabilities pose significant risks, including the potential for arbitrary code execution and unauthorized file system access.
Overview of the Vulnerabilities
The first vulnerability, CVE-2025-54253, is attributed to a misconfiguration issue (CWE-16) and has been assigned the maximum CVSS base score of 10.0. This flaw allows attackers to execute arbitrary code without requiring authentication or user interaction. The CVSS vector for this vulnerability is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating its high severity and ease of exploitation.
The second vulnerability, CVE-2025-54254, involves improper restriction of XML External Entity (XXE) references (CWE-611) and carries a CVSS score of 8.6. This flaw enables attackers to perform arbitrary file system reads, potentially exposing sensitive data. The CVSS vector for this vulnerability is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N.
Affected Versions and Immediate Actions
Both vulnerabilities affect Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms on JEE versions 6.5.23.0 and earlier across all platforms. Adobe has confirmed the existence of publicly available proof-of-concept exploits for these vulnerabilities, significantly increasing the risk of active exploitation. However, as of now, there are no reports of these vulnerabilities being exploited in the wild.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of AEM Forms are strongly advised to update to version 6.5.0-0108 immediately. Adobe has classified this update as Priority 1, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. Detailed update instructions are available through Adobe’s official channels.
Discovery and Reporting
The vulnerabilities were discovered and responsibly reported to Adobe by security researchers Shubham Shah and Adam Kues from Assetnote. Their prompt disclosure has enabled Adobe to address these critical issues swiftly.
Mitigation Strategies
In addition to applying the necessary updates, organizations should consider implementing the following mitigation strategies to enhance their security posture:
1. Network Segmentation: Isolate AEM Forms servers from public-facing networks to limit exposure.
2. Access Controls: Implement strict access controls to restrict unauthorized access to AEM Forms servers.
3. Monitoring and Logging: Continuously monitor system logs for any suspicious activity that may indicate exploitation attempts.
4. Disable Unnecessary Features: Review and disable any unnecessary features or services that could be exploited by attackers.
Conclusion
The discovery of these zero-day vulnerabilities underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches for enterprise content management systems. Organizations must act swiftly to apply the recommended updates and implement additional security measures to protect their AEM Forms infrastructure from potential exploitation.
