CVE-2011-0733 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion before 9.0.1 CHF1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the User-Agent HTTP header in an id=- query to a .cfm file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/09/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2011-0733 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in Adobe ColdFusion versions prior to 9.0.1 CHF1. This vulnerability exists within the application's handling of HTTP headers, specifically the User-Agent field, which is improperly sanitized when processed through the query string parameter id= in .cfm files. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information, session hijacking, or data theft. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic input validation weakness where user-supplied data from HTTP headers is directly incorporated into dynamic web content without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a carefully crafted HTTP request that includes a malicious script payload within the User-Agent header field. When ColdFusion processes the request and encounters the id=- query parameter in the .cfm file, the application fails to properly escape or validate the User-Agent value before rendering it in the web page output. This creates an XSS vector where the malicious script code gets executed in the victim's browser when the page is rendered, bypassing normal security controls and potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent access to user sessions or extract sensitive cookies and session information.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations using affected ColdFusion versions, as it enables attackers to perform session hijacking, deface websites, steal user credentials, or redirect victims to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects the entire ColdFusion application stack and can compromise multiple users simultaneously, especially in environments where administrators do not properly monitor or restrict HTTP header inputs. Organizations may experience data breaches, reputational damage, and regulatory compliance violations if this vulnerability is exploited successfully, as the attack can remain undetected for extended periods while attackers maintain persistent access to user sessions.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability primarily focus on applying the official Adobe ColdFusion patch released as part of the 9.0.1 CHF1 update, which includes proper input validation and sanitization for HTTP headers. Organizations should also implement comprehensive web application firewall rules to filter malicious User-Agent headers, deploy content security policies to prevent script execution, and conduct regular security assessments of their ColdFusion applications. Additionally, implementing proper input validation at all application entry points, including HTTP headers, and applying the principle of least privilege in application configuration can significantly reduce the attack surface and prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which describes cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection attacks, emphasizing the importance of proper input sanitization in web application security.