CVE-2013-0629 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe ColdFusion 9.0, 9.0.1, 9.0.2, and 10, when a password is not configured, allows attackers to access restricted directories via unspecified vectors, as exploited in the wild in January 2013.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2026
Adobe ColdFusion versions 9.0, 9.0.1, 9.0.2, and 10 contain a critical security flaw that arises when no password is configured for the administrator interface. This vulnerability represents a classic case of inadequate default security configuration that creates an exploitable condition in the application server. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description likely refer to the lack of authentication checks or weak access controls that allow unauthenticated users to traverse restricted directories and potentially gain administrative access to the ColdFusion server environment. This weakness falls under the CWE-310 vulnerability category, specifically related to cryptographic weaknesses and improper authentication mechanisms. The exploitation occurred in the wild during January 2013, demonstrating that attackers actively targeted this configuration oversight to compromise ColdFusion installations. The vulnerability enables attackers to access sensitive administrative directories that should only be accessible to authorized personnel, potentially allowing full control over the application server. The attack vector likely involves direct access to the ColdFusion administrator interface or related management components where the absence of password protection creates an unauthenticated access point. This flaw represents a fundamental security misconfiguration that violates the principle of least privilege, as the system should have enforced authentication before granting access to administrative functions. The impact extends beyond simple directory traversal, as administrative access could enable attackers to modify application configurations, deploy malicious code, or extract sensitive data from the ColdFusion environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations running affected ColdFusion versions without proper password protection. When attackers successfully exploit this weakness, they gain access to critical system management functions that could result in complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects not just individual applications but the entire ColdFusion server infrastructure, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate multiple applications hosted on the same server. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the privilege escalation and defense evasion tactics, as attackers can use it to gain administrative privileges and then hide their activities within the compromised system. The lack of proper password configuration creates an initial access point that can serve as a foothold for further attacks, potentially leading to lateral movement within the network. Organizations using affected versions without proper authentication measures face significant risk of data breaches, service disruption, and potential regulatory compliance violations. The vulnerability demonstrates how default configurations can create security gaps that require immediate attention and remediation.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability by ensuring that all ColdFusion installations have properly configured administrator passwords. The recommended approach involves setting strong, unique passwords for all administrative accounts and disabling any default accounts that are not actively used. Security configurations should be reviewed to ensure that administrative interfaces require proper authentication before granting access to restricted directories. Regular security audits should verify that no unauthorized access points exist within the ColdFusion environment, particularly focusing on default installations that may not have been properly secured. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of administrative interfaces to only trusted networks. Patch management procedures should be established to ensure that all ColdFusion installations are updated to versions that address this vulnerability, as Adobe released patches to correct the default configuration issues. Monitoring and logging should be enabled to detect any unauthorized access attempts to administrative interfaces, providing visibility into potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of proper security configuration management and the critical need to address default settings that may create security weaknesses in enterprise applications.