CVE-2026-47991: Adobe Experience Manager Open Redirect Vulnerability – Account Takeover Risk

Technical summary

CVE-2026-47991 is an open redirect vulnerability (CWE-601) in Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.24, LTS SP1, 2026.04 and earlier. The flaw permits an unauthenticated attacker to construct a specially crafted URL that, when clicked by a user, redirects them away from the legitimate AEM domain to an arbitrary external site. While the vulnerability itself does not directly compromise AEM systems, the redirect capability can be leveraged for phishing attacks and credential harvesting. The attack vector is network-based with low complexity, but requires user interaction (UI:R) and does not require authentication. CVSS 3.1 score: 4.3 (MEDIUM severity), vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.

Business impact

Open redirect vulnerabilities pose a reputational and security risk to organizations using AEM. While the immediate technical impact is limited (information disclosure is the primary concern), the real danger lies in attacker-controlled phishing campaigns. Threat actors can spoof trusted AEM instances to harvest user credentials, leading to unauthorized access to content management systems, data exfiltration, or further lateral movement. For enterprises relying on AEM for digital asset management and content delivery, account takeover can result in unauthorized content modification, compliance violations, and customer trust erosion.

Affected systems

Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.24, LTS SP1, 2026.04 and earlier are affected. Organizations running any of these versions—particularly those with public-facing AEM instances or customer-facing authentication flows—should assess their exposure. The vulnerability does not affect newer versions beyond 2026.04; however, verify compatibility and support timelines with Adobe before assuming exemption.

Exploitability

Exploitability is moderate. The vulnerability requires no authentication or special privileges to craft a malicious URL, and the network attack surface is broad. However, successful exploitation depends entirely on social engineering: an attacker must trick a user into clicking a malicious link. This significantly lowers real-world attack likelihood compared to unauthenticated remote code execution, but in targeted campaigns against high-value users (administrators, employees with access to sensitive content), the risk increases substantially. The vulnerability is not currently tracked in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, suggesting limited active exploitation at publication time, though this does not guarantee future non-weaponization.

Remediation

Apply vendor patches to bring affected AEM instances to a version later than 2026.04. Adobe typically releases patched versions; verify the specific version number against Adobe's official security advisory. Organizations unable to patch immediately should implement compensating controls: restrict URL preview or redirect functionality in AEM configurations, educate users on phishing awareness, enforce multi-factor authentication for AEM accounts, and consider URL filtering or web proxy controls to prevent redirects to untrusted domains.

Patch guidance

Consult Adobe's official security advisory for CVE-2026-47991 to identify the patched version numbers for each affected release line (6.5.x, LTS SP1, 2026.x). Download patches directly from Adobe's customer portal or secure channels. Test patches in a staging environment before production deployment to ensure no compatibility issues with custom implementations or extensions. Prioritize patching for internet-facing or customer-accessible AEM instances. Document the patch version and deployment date for compliance and audit purposes.

Detection guidance

Monitor AEM access logs for suspicious redirect parameters or URL patterns that reference external domains. Look for anomalous clickthrough rates or user reports of unexpected redirects when using AEM links. Configure Web Application Firewall (WAF) or proxy rules to log or block redirect attempts to untrusted external domains. In email security systems, flag messages containing AEM-branded URLs that redirect to non-Adobe domains. Threat intelligence feeds may identify known phishing URLs that exploit this flaw; integrate indicators into SIEM and email filtering systems.

Why prioritize this

Although CVSS 4.3 (MEDIUM) is relatively low, prioritize this vulnerability in security roadmaps for any organization with public-facing AEM or user-facing authentication. The attack vector is network-accessible, requires no privileges, and the business impact—credential theft and account takeover—aligns with common attacker objectives. The absence from CISA KEV does not diminish urgency; open redirects are frequently packaged into phishing kits and targeted campaigns. Prioritize patching for customer-facing or high-traffic AEM instances over internal systems with limited external user interaction.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 4.3 reflects low direct technical impact (only information disclosure) and mandatory user interaction. However, context matters: the same mechanism enables high-impact social engineering attacks. Organizations should layer risk assessment on top of CVSS—consider threat landscape, user population, and the criticality of accounts accessible via AEM authentication. A publicly exposed AEM instance with thousands of external users warrants faster remediation than an internal content repository.

Frequently asked questions