Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2025-54254 is a high-severity Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (CWE-611) vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager Forms. Its CVSS base score is 8.6 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 0.5% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to CM-6 (Configuration Settings) and SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-54254 is an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE) vulnerability, classified as CWE-611, affecting Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.23 and earlier. This issue enables arbitrary file system reads, allowing attackers to access sensitive files on the local file system.
With a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N), the vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network with low complexity, requiring no privileges or user interaction, and features a changed scope that results in high confidentiality impact. Unauthenticated attackers can leverage this to read sensitive local files without any user involvement.
Adobe's security bulletin APSB25-82, published at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/aem-forms/apsb25-82.html, details mitigation steps and available patches for affected versions.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-23638
Vulnerability Data
Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.23 and earlier are affected by an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access sensitive files on the…
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local file system, scope is changed. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.5.1V15.3.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Secure configuration settings can disable external entity processing in XML parsers.
Developer testing can discover XXE flaws through targeted XML parsing tests.
Input validation can reject or sanitize XML containing external entity references.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Hardened XML parser configurations directly disable external entity resolution.
Secure SDLC practices include input validation and safe XML parser configuration that prevent XXE.
Vulnerability scanning can discover XXE flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.
Patching eliminates XXE-vulnerable parser versions but is only one aspect of software maintenance.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development catches XXE via static analysis and dynamic XML fuzzing.
Vulnerability management identifies and patches XML libraries with unsafe default entity settings.
Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and entity handling that directly prevents XXE.
Application security requirements explicitly call for disabling external entity processing in XML parsers.
Secure architecture principles include safe parser configuration that mitigates external entity risks.
Secure coding standards require disabling DTDs and external entities in XML processing.