CVE-2025-54254: 
Adobe Experience Manager vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms versions 6.5.23 and earlier contain a critical vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-54254. This vulnerability is an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE) flaw that affects the SOAP authentication web service. The vulnerability was discovered by Shubham Shah and Adam Kues of Searchlight Cyber and was disclosed to Adobe on April 28, 2025. The issue received a CVSS base score of 8.6, indicating high severity (NVD, BleepingComputer).

The vulnerability stems from improper handling of XML external entity references in the SOAP authentication web service. When processing XML payloads, the service fails to properly restrict XXE references, which can be exploited through specially crafted XML requests. The vulnerability has been assigned CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) and received a CVSS score of 8.6 (HIGH) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating network accessibility, low attack complexity, and no required privileges or user interaction (NVD, SecurityOnline).

The exploitation of this vulnerability allows attackers to access sensitive files on the local file system without requiring user interaction. By submitting specially crafted XML payloads, attackers can trick the service into exposing local files, such as win.ini, without authentication. This capability could lead to the exposure of critical system information and sensitive data (BleepingComputer, SecurityOnline).

Adobe has released emergency updates to address this vulnerability. Organizations are strongly advised to update to version 6.5.0-0108 or later. If immediate updating is not possible, administrators should restrict access to the platform from the internet as a temporary mitigation measure. Adobe has categorized this update with a priority rating of 1, indicating the highest level of urgency (SecurityOnline).