CVE-2025-54253
CVE-2025-54253 is a security flaw in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms. Attackers can run their own code on Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 15 Oct 2025.[1]
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms is business software or equipment. Most families won’t have it, but attackers break into it to get inside companies, and from there to what those companies hold about their customers, patients and staff. Adobe has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it an experience manager forms code execution in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms. In its words: “Adobe Experience Manager Forms in JEE contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for arbitrary code execution.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “Adobe Experience Manager versions 6.5.23 and earlier are affected by a Misconfiguration vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass security mechanisms and execute code. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction and scope is changed.”[2]
The underlying weakness is incorrect authorization (CWE-863), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 10.0 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it critical, scored by the organisation that published the CVE using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; Adobe’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms.
Most families won’t have Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 15 Oct 2025, 71 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 5 Nov 2025 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 89%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as automatable: attackers can run it against many targets at once.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
Adobe has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.”[1]
- Check whether you use it.Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms is business software or equipment, so most families won’t have it. If you run a business, or work from home on company equipment, ask whoever looks after your IT.
- Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed, or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 5 Nov 2025 to fix it.
- If it can’t be fixed, take it offline.CISA’s advice when there’s no fix is to stop using the product, or take it off the internet, until there is one.
You can’t fix someone else’s server, but you can watch for what follows a break-in like this: a breach notice, a password reset you didn’t ask for, or a scam message that knows things it shouldn’t. HARD watches for those for you and your family.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 10.0.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 89%.[4] |
See also
Other Adobe flaws
- CVE-2026-48356, Adobe Commerce and Magento: unrestricted upload of file with dangerous type ·
- CVE-2026-71362, Adobe Commerce and Magento: incorrect authorization ·
- CVE-2026-75650, Adobe Commerce and Magento: improper neutralization of special elements used in a template engine ·
- CVE-2026-48282, Adobe ColdFusion: path traversal ·
- CVE-2009-3459, Adobe Acrobat and Reader: heap-based buffer overflow ·
Other incorrect authorization flaws
- CVE-2026-42016, JFrog Artifactory: incorrect authorization ·
- CVE-2025-55177, Meta Platforms WhatsApp: incorrect authorization ·
- CVE-2025-21480, Qualcomm Multiple Chipsets: incorrect authorization ·
- CVE-2025-21479, Qualcomm Multiple Chipsets: incorrect authorization ·
- CVE-2025-24200, Apple iOS and iPadOS: incorrect authorization ·
Every Adobe flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in October 2025
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Adobe Experience Manager Forms Code Execution Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 15 Oct 2025.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2025-54253 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 5 Aug 2025.
- ^ Adobe. Advisories and fixes: helpx.adobe.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.888, percentile 99.8, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2025-54253”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.