CVE-2013-3350 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe ColdFusion 10 before Update 11 allows remote attackers to call ColdFusion Components (CFC) public methods via WebSockets.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/18/2021
Adobe ColdFusion 10 before Update 11 contains a critical security vulnerability that enables remote attackers to invoke public methods of ColdFusion Components through WebSocket connections without proper authentication. This vulnerability stems from insufficient access control mechanisms within the WebSocket implementation, allowing unauthorized users to exploit exposed CFC methods that should typically be restricted to authenticated sessions. The flaw exists in the WebSocket protocol handler that fails to validate the security context of incoming requests, creating an attack surface where malicious actors can bypass normal authentication procedures. This vulnerability falls under CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and represents a significant bypass of the application's security model. The technical implementation allows attackers to establish WebSocket connections and directly invoke public methods of CFCs, potentially leading to data exposure, privilege escalation, or denial of service conditions. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it enables attackers to leverage legitimate application functionality against the system. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage and T1210 for exploitation of remote services, demonstrating how WebSocket protocols can be weaponized for unauthorized access. Organizations running affected ColdFusion versions face potential exposure to automated scanning tools that can identify and exploit this weakness, making it particularly dangerous in public-facing environments. The vulnerability represents a design flaw in the WebSocket security model where the system assumes all WebSocket connections are trusted, failing to implement proper session validation or authentication checks. Attackers can exploit this by establishing WebSocket connections to the ColdFusion server and invoking CFC methods that expose sensitive functionality or data access. The issue becomes more severe when considering that many CFCs contain business logic or database interaction methods that could be leveraged for data manipulation or extraction. Security researchers have noted that this vulnerability can be particularly challenging to detect through traditional network monitoring as WebSocket traffic often appears as legitimate application communication. The lack of proper authorization checks in the WebSocket endpoint creates a persistent risk that remains active until the underlying software is patched. Organizations should immediately implement network segmentation to restrict access to WebSocket endpoints and apply the available Adobe ColdFusion Update 11 patch to remediate this vulnerability. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of validating security contexts across all communication protocols, including newer technologies like WebSockets that may not be subject to the same scrutiny as traditional HTTP endpoints. Additional mitigations include implementing proper input validation, restricting WebSocket access through firewalls, and monitoring for unusual WebSocket connection patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability serves as a reminder that modern application frameworks must maintain consistent security controls across all communication channels to prevent such bypass scenarios. The flaw represents a critical gap in the application's security architecture where protocol-level access controls fail to align with application-level security requirements, creating a pathway for unauthorized access to core application functionality.