CVE-2018-15957 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe ColdFusion versions July 12 release (2018.0.0.310739), Update 6 and earlier, and Update 14 and earlier have a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2025
Adobe ColdFusion represents a widely deployed enterprise web application platform that serves as a foundation for numerous business-critical applications across various industries. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15957 resides within the platform's handling of serialized data structures, specifically in the way the application processes untrusted input during deserialization operations. This flaw affects versions including the July 12 2018 release and Update 6, as well as Update 14 and earlier versions, indicating a significant attack surface across multiple release cycles. The vulnerability manifests when the application receives serialized data from external sources without proper validation or sanitization, creating a path for malicious actors to inject crafted payloads that can be executed within the application's runtime environment.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of serialized data structures that ColdFusion uses to store and transmit complex objects between different parts of the application or between the application and external systems. When the application attempts to deserialize this data, it processes the serialized objects without adequate security controls, allowing attackers to inject malicious code that executes with the privileges of the ColdFusion server process. This deserialization flaw directly maps to CWE-502, which categorizes the improper handling of serialized data as a critical security weakness. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which describes the use of scripting languages for execution, as attackers can leverage the deserialization mechanism to execute arbitrary commands through carefully crafted serialized objects.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple code execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to fully compromise the underlying system hosting the ColdFusion application. Successful exploitation can result in complete system takeover, data exfiltration, and the establishment of persistent backdoors within the enterprise network. Organizations using affected ColdFusion versions face significant risk of data breaches, service disruption, and potential regulatory compliance violations, particularly in environments where the platform handles sensitive customer information or financial data. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal sophistication, making it attractive to both automated attack tools and skilled adversaries who can leverage the deserialization flaw to gain unauthorized access to critical business infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-15957 focus on immediate patching of affected systems to the latest available updates from Adobe, which address the deserialization vulnerability through proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of ColdFusion applications to untrusted networks, while also establishing robust monitoring for suspicious deserialization activities. Additional protective measures include disabling unnecessary serialization functionality within the application, implementing strict input validation for all external data sources, and conducting comprehensive security assessments to identify potential attack vectors. The remediation process should also involve regular security updates and vulnerability management procedures to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future, aligning with industry best practices for secure application development and deployment.