CVE-2009-1877 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion 8.0.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2009-1875.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/20/2021
Adobe ColdFusion versions 8.0.1 and earlier contain a cross-site scripting vulnerability that enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected systems. This vulnerability operates through unspecified attack vectors that differ from the related CVE-2009-1875, indicating a distinct code path or input handling mechanism. The flaw resides in the application's failure to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied input that is subsequently rendered in web pages without adequate encoding or filtering measures. This weakness allows attackers to inject malicious payloads that can execute in the victim's browser when the compromised content is displayed, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script execution as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks including phishing, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the application's security boundaries. The technical nature of this flaw aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities where untrusted data is improperly handled during web page generation. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to organizations utilizing older ColdFusion versions, as it provides attackers with a straightforward method to compromise user sessions and potentially gain deeper access to backend systems. The attack surface is broad since ColdFusion applications often process user input through various interfaces including form submissions, API endpoints, and file uploads where input validation may be insufficient. Organizations running affected versions should prioritize immediate remediation through official patches provided by Adobe, as the vulnerability can be exploited without authentication and can affect any user interacting with vulnerable web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1566 technique for initial access through malicious web content, while also supporting T1071 for application layer protocols and T1531 for credential access through session manipulation. Without proper mitigation, this vulnerability can serve as a gateway for more complex attacks, making it critical for security teams to implement comprehensive input validation, output encoding, and regular security assessments of their ColdFusion installations. The vulnerability's persistence in older versions underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date software and implementing robust security practices to prevent exploitation of known weaknesses in legacy systems.