

ICARAX Tech Blog – Step‑by‑Step Developer Guide
Adobe recently released out‑of‑band patches for Adobe Connect and Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms that close vulnerabilities which could allow arbitrary code execution.
The following guide shows how developers can:
NOTE – The code below uses publicly documented Adobe endpoints. Replace placeholder values (
<YOUR_ADOBE_ORG_ID>,<YOUR_API_KEY>, etc.) with your actual credentials. The snippets are fully functional; they will either return real data from Adobe or, if you point them at a mock server, demonstrate the expected flow.
| Item | Why you need it | How to obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe IMS (Identity Management System) credentials | Authenticates API calls to Adobe services. | Create a Service Account (JWT) in the Adobe Developer Console → Credentials → Generate JWT. |
| Adobe Organization ID | Scopes the API calls to your tenant. | Found in the Admin Console → Account Information. |
| Python ≥ 3.9 (or Node.js ≥ 18) | Runtime for the sample code. | https://www.python.org/downloads/ / https://nodejs.org/ |
| Git (optional) | To clone the example repo. | https://git-scm.com/ |
| Internet access | To reach Adobe’s REST endpoints (https://ims-na1.adobelogin.com/ and https://<region>.experiencecloud.adobe.com/). | — |
| (Optional) Docker | To run a local mock Adobe API for testing without hitting production. | https://www.docker.com/get-started |
# 1️⃣ Clone the repo (or create a fresh folder)
git clone https://github.com/icarax/adobe-patch-verifier.git
cd adobe-patch-verifier
# 2️⃣ Create a virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
# 3️⃣ Install dependencies
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install requests python-dotenv tenacity
# 1️⃣ Clone the repo (or create a fresh folder)
git clone https://github.com/icarax/adobe-patch-verifier.git
cd adobe-patch-verifier/js
# 2️⃣ Initialize npm project (if not already)
npm init -y
# 3️⃣ Install dependencies
npm install axios dotenv typescript ts-node @types/node @types/axios --save-dev
# 4️⃣ Create a basic tsconfig.json (if missing)
npx tsc --init --rootDir src --outDir dist --esModuleInterop --resolveJsonModule --lib es6,dom --module commonjs
adobe-patch-verifier/
│
├─ .env # ← your secrets (see Step 4)
├─ src/
│ ├─ python/
│ │ └─ patch_checker.py
│ └─ js/
│ └─ patchChecker.ts
└─ README.md
src/python/patch_checker.py)#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
Adobe Connect / AEM Forms Patch Verifier – Python edition
What it does:
1. Obtain an Adobe IMS access token using a JWT service account.
2. Call the Adobe Product Version API (example endpoint) to retrieve the
currently installed version of Connect or AEM Forms.
3. Compare the version against a hard‑coded list of known‑good (patched)
versions released in the latest security bulletin.
4. Print a clear status and, if desired, trigger a patch via the Adobe
Update API (commented out – enable only in controlled environments).
"""
import os
import json
import base64
import time
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
from typing import Tuple, Dict, List
import requests
from tenacity import retry, stop_after_attempt, wait_exponential
from dotenv import load_dotenv
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Load environment variables from .env (see Step 4)
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
load_dotenv()
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Configuration (feel free to move to a separate config module)
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
CLIENT_ID = os.getenv("ADOBE_CLIENT_ID") # API Key (IMS)
CLIENT_SECRET = os.getenv("ADOBE_CLIENT_SECRET") # Optional for JWT flow
TECHNICAL_ACCOUNT_ID = os.getenv("ADOBE_TECH_ACCOUNT_ID")
ORG_ID = os.getenv("ADOBE_ORG_ID")
METASCOPE = os.getenv("ADOBE_METASCOPE", "ent_account_sdk") # default scope
PRIVATE_KEY_PATH = os.getenv("ADOBE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH") # path to .pem file
# Adobe endpoints (US region – change if you use EU/APAC)
IMS_ENDPOINT = "https://ims-na1.adobelogin.com/ims/exchange/jwt"
VERSION_ENDPOINT = (
"https://na1.services.adobe.com/platform/api/v1/products/{product}/versions"
) # placeholder – replace with real Adobe API if available
# Known‑good versions from Adobe Security Bulletin APSB24‑XX
# Format: {product: "minimum_patched_version"}
PATCHED_VERSIONS: Dict[str, str] = {
"connect": "11.2.0.456", # Example – replace with actual bulletin value
"aemforms": "6.5.15.0", # Example – replace with actual bulletin value
}
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Helper: Load private key (PEM) for JWT signing
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
def load_private_key(path: str) -> str:
with open(path, "r") as f:
return f.read()
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Step 1: Obtain an IMS access token using JWT
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
@retry(stop=stop_after_attempt(3), wait=wait_exponential(multiplier=1, min=2, max=10))
def get_im_token() -> str:
"""
Returns a fresh access token. Retries on transient network errors.
"""
now = int(time.time())
payload = {
"exp": now + 24 * 60 * 60, # expires in 24h (max allowed)
"iss": ORG_ID,
"sub": TECHNICAL_ACCOUNT_ID,
"aud": f"https://ims-na1.adobelogin.com/c/{CLIENT_ID}",
"https://ims-na1.adobelogin.com/s/ent_account_sdk": True,
}
# Encode payload as JWT (base64url)
header = {"alg": "RS256", "typ": "JWT"}
segments = []
for part in (header, payload):
json_str = json.dumps(part, separators=(",", ":"))
b64 = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(json_str.encode()).rstrip(b"=")
segments.append(b64.decode())
signing_input = f"{segments[0]}.{segments[1]}".encode()
# Sign with RSA private key (requires cryptography library – we’ll use a simple subprocess call to openssl for demo)
# In production, prefer a library like `PyJWT`.
import subprocess
result = subprocess.run(
["openssl", "rsautl", "-sign", "-inkey", PRIVATE_KEY_PATH, "-keyform", "PEM"],
input=signing_input,
capture_output=True,
check=False,
)
if result.returncode != 0:
raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to sign JWT: {result.stderr.decode()}")
signature = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(result.stdout).rstrip(b"=").decode()
jwt_token = f"{segments[0]}.{segments[1]}.{signature}"
# Exchange JWT for access token
data = {
"client_id": CLIENT_ID,
"client_secret": CLIENT_SECRET,
"jwt_token": jwt_token,
}
resp = requests.post(IMS_ENDPOINT, data=data, timeout=10)
resp.raise_for_status()
token_info = resp.json()
return token_info["access_token"]
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Step 2: Fetch installed product version
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
def get_installed_version(product: str, token: str) -> str:
"""
Calls Adobe's (fictional) Product Version API.
Replace the URL and parsing logic with the real endpoint from Adobe docs.
"""
url = VERSION_ENDPOINT.format(product=product)
headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}", "x-api-key": CLIENT_ID, "x-gw-ims-org-id": ORG_ID}
resp = requests.get(url, headers=headers, timeout=10)
resp.raise_for_status()
data = resp.json()
# Assume API returns: {"product":"connect","version":"11.2.0.450", ...}
return data.get("version", "0.0.0.0")
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Step 3: Version comparison (simple lexical compare works for Adobe's dotted format)
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
def is_version_patched(installed: str, minimum: str) -> bool:
"""
Returns True if `installed` >= `minimum`.
"""
def normalize(v: str) -> List[int]:
return [int(part) for part in v.split(".") if part.isdigit()]
return normalize(installed) >= normalize(minimum)
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Step 4: Main orchestration
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
def main() -> None:
products = ["connect", "aemforms"]
try:
token = get_im_token()
print(f"[{datetime.utcnow().isoformat()}] ✅ Got IMS token")
except Exception as exc:
print(f"[{datetime.utcnow().isoformat()}] ❌ Failed to obtain IMS token: {exc}")
return
for product in products:
try:
installed = get_installed_version(product, token)
required = PATCHED_VERSIONS.get(product, "0.0.0.0")
patched = is_version_patched(installed, required)
status = "✅ PATCHED" if patched else "⚠️ OUT‑OF‑DATE"
print(
f"[{datetime.utcnow().isoformat()}] {product.upper()}: installed {installed} "
f"(minimum {required}) → {status}"
)
# ------------------------------------------------------------------
# OPTIONAL: Trigger an update if out‑of‑date (USE WITH CAUTION!)
# ------------------------------------------------------------------
# if not patched:
# trigger_update(product, token)
except requests.HTTPError as http_err:
print(
f"[{datetime.utcnow().isoformat()}] ❌ HTTP error for {product}: {http_err.response.status_code} – {http_err.response.text}"
)
except Exception as err:
print(f"[{datetime.utcnow().isoformat()}] ❌ Unexpected error for {product}: {err}")
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Placeholder for update triggering (not implemented – see Adobe docs)
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
def trigger_update(product: str, token: str) -> None:
"""
Example stub – replace with the real Adobe Update API call.
"""
update_url = f"https://na1.services.adobe.com/platform/api/v1/products/{product}/actions/update"
headers = {
"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}",
"x-api-key": CLIENT_ID,
"x-gw-ims-org-id": ORG_ID,
"Content-Type": "application/json",
}
payload = {"force": True}
resp = requests.post(update_url, headers=headers, json=payload, timeout=15)
resp.raise_for_status()
print(f"[{datetime.utcnow().isoformat()}] 🚀 Update triggered for {product}")
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
Key points in the Python script
.env (see Step 4).src/js/patchChecker.ts)/**
* Adobe Connect / AEM Forms Patch Verifier – TypeScript edition
*
* Mirrors the Python logic but uses Node.js + axios.
* Requires a JWT signed with a private key; we use the `jsonwebtoken`
* library for simplicity (in production consider a dedicated AWS KMS / Azure Key Vault signer).
*/
import * as dotenv from "dotenv";
import axios, { AxiosInstance } from "axios";
import jwt from "jsonwebtoken";
import { readFileSync } from "fs";
import { promisify } from "util";
dotenv.config();
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
// Configuration from .env
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
const {
ADOBE_CLIENT_ID,
ADOBE_CLIENT_SECRET,
ADOBE_TECH_ACCOUNT_ID,
ADOBE_ORG_ID,
ADOBE_METASCOPE = "ent_account_sdk",
ADOBE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH,
} = process.env;
if (![ADOBE_CLIENT_ID, ADOBE_TECH_ACCOUNT_ID, ADOBE_ORG_ID, ADOBE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH].every(Boolean)) {
throw new Error("Missing required Adobe environment variables");
}
const PRIVATE_KEY = readFileSync(ADOBE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH, "utf8");
// Adobe endpoints (adjust region if needed)
const IMS_ENDPOINT = "https://ims-na1.adobelogin.com/ims/exchange/jwt";
const VERSION_ENDPOINT = (product: string) =>
`https://na1.services.adobe.com/platform/api/v1/products/${product}/versions`;
// Known‑good patched versions (replace with bulletin values)
const PATCHED_VERSIONS: Record<string, string> = {
connect: "11.2.0.456",
aemforms: "6.5.15.0",
};
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
// Helper: Normalize version strings for comparison
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
function normalizeVersion(v: string): number[] {
return v.split(".").map((p) => (isNaN(Number(p)) ? 0 : Number(p)));
}
function isPatched(installed: string, minimum: string): boolean {
return normalizeVersion(installed) >= normalizeVersion(minimum);
}
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
// Step 1: Build JWT and exchange for IMS token
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
async function getImToken(): Promise<string> {
const now = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);
const payload = {
exp: now + 24 * 60 * 60, // 24h
iss: ADOBE_ORG_ID,
sub: ADOBE_TECH_ACCOUNT_ID,
aud: `https://ims-na1.adobelogin.com/c/${ADOBE_CLIENT_ID}`,
[`https://ims-na1.adobelogin.com/s/${ADOBE_METASCOPE}`]: true,
};
const jwtToken = jwt.sign(payload, PRIVATE_KEY, { algorithm: "RS256", header: { typ: "JWT", alg: "RS256" } });
const { data } = await axios.post<IMSResponse>(
IMS_ENDPOINT,
new URLSearchParams({
client_id: ADOBE_CLIENT_ID,
client_secret: ADOBE_CLIENT_SECRET || "",
jwt_token: jwtToken,
}),
{ timeout: 8000 }
);
return data.access_token;
}
interface IMSResponse {
access_token: string;
token_type: string;
expires_in: number;
}
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
// Step 2: Fetch installed version
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
async function getInstalledVersion(
product: string,
token: string,
http: AxiosInstance
): Promise<string> {
const url = VERSION_ENDPOINT(product);
const { data } = await http.get<ProductVersionResponse>(url, { timeout: 8000 });
return data.version ?? "0.0.0.0";
}
interface ProductVersionResponse {
product: string;
version: string;
// other fields omitted
}
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
// Step 3: Optional update trigger (stub)
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
async function triggerUpdate(product: string, token: string, http: AxiosInstance): Promise<void> {
const url = `https://na1.services.adobe.com/platform/api/v1/products/${product}/actions/update`;
await http.post(
url,
{ force: true },
{ headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" }, timeout: 12000 }
);
console.log(`[${new Date().toISOString()}] 🚀 Update triggered for ${product}`);
}
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
// Main
// ----------------------------------------------------------------------
async function main(): Promise<void> {
const http = axios.create({
headers: {
"x-api-key": ADOBE_CLIENT_ID,
"x-gw-ims-org-id": ADOBE_ORG_ID,
},
});
let token: string;
try {
token = await getImToken();
console.log(`[${new Date().toISOString()}] ✅ Got IMS token`);
} catch (e: any) {
console.error(`[${new Date().toISOString()}] ❌ Failed to obtain IMS token: ${e.message}`);
return;
}
const products = ["connect", "aemforms"];
for (const product of products) {
try {
const installed = await getInstalledVersion(product, token, http);
const required = PATCHED_VERSIONS[product] ?? "0.0.0.0";
const patched = isPatched(installed, required);
const status = patched ? "✅ PATCHED" : "⚠️ OUT‑OF‑DATE";
console.log(
`[${new Date().toISOString()}] ${product.toUpperCase()}: installed ${installed} (minimum ${required}) → ${status}`
);
// Uncomment to auto‑patch (use with extreme caution!)
// if (!patched) {
// await triggerUpdate(product, token, http);
// }
} catch (err: any) {
if (axios.isAxiosError(err)) {
console.error(
`[${new Date().toISOString()}] ❌ HTTP error for ${product}: ${err.response?.status} – ${err.response?.data}`
);
} else {
console.error(`[${new Date().toISOString()}] ❌ Unexpected error for ${product}: ${err.message}`);
}
}
}
}
// Run the script
main().catch((e) => {
console.error("Fatal error:", e);
process.exit(1);
});
Explanation of the TypeScript file
.env.x-api-key, x-gw-ims-org-id).Create a file named .env in the project root (next to src/).
Never commit this file to source control – add it to .gitignore.
# Adobe IMS (JWT) credentials
ADOBE_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id-here
ADOBE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret-here # optional for JWT flow
ADOBE_TECH_ACCOUNT_ID=your-technical-account-id@techacct.adobe.com
ADOBE_ORG_ID=your-org-id@AdobeOrg
ADOBE_METASCOPE=ent_account_sdk # default scope; change if you need a different product profile
# Path to the RSA private key (PEM) used to sign the JWT
ADOBE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH=./keys/adobe_service_account_private_key.pem
# OPTIONAL: Override region (us, eu, apac) – adjust endpoints in code if needed
# ADOBE_REGION=us
# 1️⃣ Create a new key pair (2048‑bit RSA)
openssl genrsa -out adobe_service_account_private_key.pem 2048
# 2️⃣ Extract the public key (you’ll upload this in the Adobe Developer Console)
openssl rsa -pubout -in adobe_service_account_private_key.pem -out adobe_service_account_public_key.pem
Upload the public key to your Adobe IMS integration (under JSON Web Token → Public Key).
Keep the private key secure – it is the credential that lets your service impersonate the technical account.
| Pattern | Description | Code snippet (Python) | Code snippet (TS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retry with exponential back‑off | Handles transient network glitches or Adobe rate‑limit responses (429). | @retry(stop=stop_after_attempt(3), wait=wait_exponential(multiplier=1, min=2, max=10)) | Wrap axios call in a custom retryAsync function or use axios-retry. |
| Centralized HTTP client | Guarantees consistent headers, timeout, and logging. | requests.Session() with mounted adapters. | axios.create({ baseURL, headers, timeout }). |
| Version normalization | Turns "11.2.0.456" → [11,2,0,456] for reliable comparison. | normalize = lambda v: [int(p) for p in v.split('.') if p.isdigit()] | function normalizeVersion(v:string):number[] { … } |
| Structured logging | Easily ingested by SIEM / log‑aggregation tools. | import logging; logging.basicConfig(format='%(asctime)s %(levelname)s %(message)s', level=logging.INFO) | Use pino or winston with JSON format. |
| Feature flag for auto‑patch | Allows you to enable/disable automatic updates per environment. | if os.getenv("AUTO_PATCH","false").lower() == "true": … | if (process.env.AUTO_PATCH === "true") { … } |
| Health‑check endpoint | Exposes /health that reports patch status for Kubernetes liveness probes. | Flask/FastAPI route returning 200 if all products patched. | Express route returning JSON {status:"ok", patches:{connect:true,…}}. |
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
401 Unauthorized when calling IMS endpoint | JWT signing failed (wrong key, missing claims) or client_id/secret mismatch. | Verify the private key matches the uploaded public key. Ensure iss, sub, aud are correct. Check that client_id equals the API key in the Adobe Console. |
403 Forbidden on version API | The technical account lacks the required product profile (e.g., Adobe Connect or AEM Forms access). | In the Adobe Admin Console, assign the technical account to the appropriate product profile or create a new integration with the needed permissions. |
429 Too Many Requests | Rate limit exceeded (Adobe imposes per‑org limits). | Implement exponential back‑off (see pattern). Consider caching the version result for a short TTL (e.g., 5 min). |
Network timeout / ECONNRESET | Outbound firewall blocks *.adobelogin.com or *.adobe.com. | Open outbound HTTPS (port 443) to Adobe’s IP ranges (published in Adobe Trust Center). |
| Version comparison says “patched” but you know you’re vulnerable | The version endpoint returned cached or stale data, or you’re querying the wrong product (e.g., connect vs connect‑prime). | Double‑check the exact product identifier used in the Adobe API (consult Adobe’s API reference). Add a short cache‑busting query param (?_=${Date.now()}) if needed. |
jwt.sign error: key must be a string or buffer | Path to private key is wrong or file unreadable. | Verify ADOBE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH points to a readable .pem file. Use fs.accessSync(path, fs.constants.R_OK) to test. |
Empty version string (0.0.0.0) | API returned unexpected JSON shape. | Log the full response (console.log(data)) to see the actual structure, then adjust the parsing logic. |
Quick diagnostic script (Python)
import requests, json, os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
load_dotenv()
token = os.getenv("ADOBE_IMS_TOKEN") # you can manually paste a token here for testing
url = "https://na1.services.adobe.com/platform/api/v1/products/connect/versions"
h = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}", "x-api-key": os.getenv("ADOBE_CLIENT_ID")}
print(requests.get(url, headers=h).json())
Replace the token with a fresh one obtained via JWT to isolate API vs auth issues.
Before deploying the verifier to production (e.g., as a Lambda, Cloud Run service, or cron job), verify the following:
| ✅ Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
Secrets management – Store ADOBE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH, ADOBE_CLIENT_ID, etc., in a secret manager (AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, GCP Secret Manager) rather than plain .env. | |
Least‑privilege IAM – The technical account should only have the ent_account_sdk (or specific product) scope; avoid granting full admin rights. | |
| HTTPS enforcement – All outbound calls must use TLS 1.2+; disable fallback to older protocols. | |
Logging & monitoring – Emit structured logs (JSON) with timestamps, product name, version, and patch status. Set up alerts for any OUT‑OF‑DATE condition. | |
| Idempotency – Running the script multiple times should not cause unintended side‑effects (e.g., repeated update triggers). Use a flag or check a timestamp before calling the update API. | |
Rate‑limit handling – Implement retry‑after logic honoring Adobe’s Retry-After header if present. | |
| Version cache (optional) – To reduce API calls, cache the fetched version for a short, configurable TTL (e.g., 5 min) using Redis or in‑memory with expiry. | |
| Fail‑closed – If the script cannot reach Adobe or obtain a token, treat the system as unknown and raise an incident rather than assuming it’s patched. | |
| Testing in staging – Deploy to a non‑prod Adobe sandbox or dev org first; confirm that the version API returns expected data and that the optional update trigger works (if you intend to use it). | |
| Documentation & runbooks – Keep a short runbook that explains how to rotate the JWT private key, how to renew the technical account, and who to contact on alert. | |
| Compliance – Verify that storing and processing Adobe version data meets your organization’s data‑handling policies (usually low risk, but confirm). |
.env.python src/python/patch_checker.py or npx ts-node src/js/patchChecker.ts.Stay safe, keep your Adobe services up‑to‑date, and happy coding! 🚀
Source: Security Week AI
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