Adobe is facing active exploitation of a critical vulnerability (CVE-2025-54253) in its Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms on JEE (versions 6.5.23 and earlier), allowing unauthenticated attackers to bypass security and execute arbitrary code remotely without user interaction. The flaw, stemming from a misconfiguration in Struts DevMode, was disclosed by researchers on April 28th but left unpatched for over 90 days, during which proof-of-concept exploits became publicly available. While Adobe released fixes on August 9th, the delay exposed organizations to potential large-scale breaches, with CISA mandating federal agencies to patch by November 5th under Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01. The vulnerability poses severe risks, including unauthorized system takeover, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within corporate networks. Since AEM is widely used for enterprise content management, exploitation could lead to compromised customer data, financial records, or proprietary business logic, especially if deployed in government, healthcare, or financial sectors. CISA’s warning underscores the urgent threat, as attackers could leverage this flaw for ransomware deployment, espionage, or disruptive cyberattacks. Organizations failing to patch risk regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and operational downtime, particularly if the flaw is chained with other unpatched vulnerabilities (e.g., CVE-2025-54254).
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/adobetcs
"id": "ado2292522101625",
"linkid": "adobetcs",
"type": "Vulnerability",
"date": "6/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Public Sector',
'location': 'United States',
'name': 'Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) '
'Agencies',
'type': 'Government'},
{'location': 'Global',
'name': 'Private Sector Organizations (using AEM Forms '
'on JEE)',
'type': ['Corporate', 'Non-Profit', 'Educational']}],
'attack_vector': ['Network',
'Misconfiguration Exploitation',
'Struts DevMode Abuse'],
'customer_advisories': ['Adobe recommends immediate patching for AEM Forms on '
'JEE users.',
'CISA urges all organizations to prioritize '
'mitigation.'],
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-07-29',
'date_resolved': '2025-08-09',
'description': 'CISA has warned that attackers are actively exploiting a '
'maximum-severity vulnerability (CVE-2025-54253) in Adobe '
'Experience Manager (AEM) Forms on JEE versions 6.5.23 and '
'earlier. The flaw, an authentication bypass leading to remote '
'code execution (RCE) via Struts DevMode, was disclosed by '
'researchers Adam Kues and Shubham Shah of Searchlight Cyber. '
'Adobe released patches on August 9th after proof-of-concept '
'exploit code became publicly available. CISA has mandated '
'federal agencies to patch by November 5th under BOD 22-01 and '
'urged all organizations to prioritize mitigation.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational damage for '
'organizations failing to patch',
'operational_impact': 'High (Potential for arbitrary code '
'execution on unpatched systems)',
'systems_affected': ['Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms on '
'JEE']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (active exploitation observed; patching in '
'progress)',
'lessons_learned': ['Delayed patching of critical vulnerabilities increases '
'exposure to exploitation.',
'Public disclosure of vulnerabilities without patches can '
'accelerate attacker activity.',
'Restricting network exposure of vulnerable systems can '
'serve as a temporary mitigation.'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Adobe released security '
'updates (2025-08-09).',
'CISA added to KEV Catalog '
'and issued patching '
'mandate for federal '
'agencies.',
'Searchlight Cyber provided '
'mitigation guidance '
'(restrict network '
'access).'],
'root_causes': ['Misconfiguration in Adobe '
'Experience Manager (AEM) Forms on '
'JEE (authentication bypass).',
'Delayed patching by Adobe (90+ '
'days between disclosure and fix '
'for CVE-2025-54253).',
'Public availability of '
'proof-of-concept exploit code.']},
'recommendations': ["Immediately apply Adobe's security updates for AEM Forms "
'on JEE.',
'Restrict Internet-facing access to AEM Forms if patching '
'is delayed.',
'Monitor systems for signs of exploitation (e.g., '
'unauthorized code execution).',
"Prioritize patching for vulnerabilities added to CISA's "
'KEV Catalog.',
"Follow CISA's BOD 22-01 guidance for federal systems."],
'references': [{'source': 'CISA Advisory on CVE-2025-54253'},
{'date_accessed': '2025-08-09',
'source': 'Adobe Security Bulletin (APSB25-XX)'},
{'date_accessed': '2025-07-29',
'source': 'Searchlight Cyber Technical Write-Up'},
{'source': 'Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01',
'url': 'https://www.cisa.gov/binding-operational-directive-22-01'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['CISA Known Exploited '
'Vulnerabilities '
'Catalog (added '
'post-disclosure)',
'Binding Operational '
'Directive (BOD) 22-01 '
'(mandates patching '
'for federal agencies '
'by 2025-11-05)']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['CISA advisory (2025-08-XX, exact '
'date unspecified)',
'Adobe security bulletin (2025-08-09)',
'Searchlight Cyber technical write-up '
'(2025-07-29)'],
'containment_measures': ['Restrict Internet access to AEM Forms '
'when deployed as a standalone '
'application (if patching is delayed)',
'Discontinue use of the product if '
'mitigations are unavailable'],
'enhanced_monitoring': 'Recommended (for signs of exploitation)',
'network_segmentation': 'Recommended (restrict AEM Forms '
'exposure)',
'remediation_measures': ['Apply Adobe security updates (released '
'2025-08-09)',
"Follow CISA's Binding Operational "
'Directive (BOD) 22-01 guidance for '
'federal agencies']},
'stakeholder_advisories': ['CISA alert to federal agencies and private sector '
'organizations.',
'Adobe customer notifications via security '
'bulletin.'],
'title': 'Active Exploitation of Critical Adobe Experience Manager '
'Vulnerability (CVE-2025-54253)',
'type': ['Vulnerability Exploitation',
'Remote Code Execution (RCE)',
'Authentication Bypass'],
'vulnerability_exploited': {'affected_software': ['Adobe Experience Manager '
'(AEM) Forms on JEE 6.5.23 '
'and earlier'],
'cve_id': 'CVE-2025-54253',
'exploit_availability': 'Proof-of-Concept '
'(Publicly Available)',
'patch_status': 'Patched (as of 2025-08-09)',
'severity': 'Critical (Maximum)'}}