CVE-1999-1124 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE
HTTP Client application in ColdFusion allows remote attackers to bypass access restrictions for web pages on other ports by providing the target page to the mainframeset.cfm application, which requests the page from the server, making it look like the request is coming from the local host.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-1999-1124 represents a significant access control flaw within the ColdFusion HTTP client implementation that enables remote attackers to circumvent security restrictions governing web page access across different network ports. This issue specifically affects the mainframeset.cfm application within the ColdFusion environment, which serves as an HTTP client for retrieving web content from remote servers. The flaw exploits the trust relationship between the ColdFusion server and its internal client mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the application's behavior to access resources that should otherwise be restricted.
The technical exploitation occurs through the manipulation of the mainframeset.cfm application's request handling process. When an attacker provides a target page URL to this application, the ColdFusion server processes the request internally and makes an HTTP connection to the specified target, typically on a different port than the one initially accessed by the attacker. This internal request process causes the target server to believe the connection originates from the local host, effectively bypassing any port-based access controls or firewall restrictions that might otherwise prevent unauthorized access. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate or sanitize the URLs provided by external users, creating a path for privilege escalation through the HTTP client component.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the ColdFusion application server. Attackers can leverage this flaw to access sensitive resources, bypass authentication mechanisms, and potentially escalate privileges within the application environment. The vulnerability affects the core security assumptions of the platform, particularly regarding network boundary enforcement and cross-port access control. This weakness creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited repeatedly without requiring additional authentication or authorization, making it particularly dangerous in environments where ColdFusion serves as a gateway to internal network resources.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and URL sanitization within the ColdFusion HTTP client applications. Organizations should disable or restrict access to the vulnerable mainframeset.cfm application, implement strict network access controls, and configure proper firewall rules to prevent unauthorized cross-port communication. The fix should include validating all URLs passed to HTTP client functions, ensuring that only trusted and authorized resources can be accessed through the application's internal client mechanisms. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation, highlighting the need for comprehensive security controls around HTTP client implementations in enterprise applications.
The broader implications of this vulnerability demonstrate the critical importance of validating all external inputs within web applications, particularly those that interact with network resources. This flaw exemplifies how seemingly benign application features can become security risks when proper input validation and access control mechanisms are not implemented. Organizations should implement regular security assessments of their application servers, focusing on HTTP client behaviors and network access control implementations. The vulnerability also underscores the necessity of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of such flaws. Proper logging and monitoring of HTTP client activities should be enabled to detect and respond to suspicious access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.