CVE-2018-4940 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe ColdFusion Update 5 and earlier versions, ColdFusion 11 Update 13 and earlier versions have an exploitable Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/07/2020
Adobe ColdFusion versions prior to Update 5 and ColdFusion 11 versions prior to Update 13 contain a critical cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into web applications. This vulnerability resides in the administrator console and web application interfaces where user input is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. The flaw enables attackers to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize user input, which directly enables XSS attacks. According to the ATT&CK framework, this represents a technique for gaining initial access through web application attacks where adversaries can manipulate application behavior to execute malicious code. The vulnerability affects the administrator console functionality and web application components, making it particularly dangerous as it could provide attackers with elevated privileges if they can access administrative interfaces. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it can enable more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation and persistent backdoor establishment. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious payloads that are submitted through web forms, URL parameters, or API endpoints that do not properly validate or escape user input. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because ColdFusion administrators often have extensive privileges within web applications, making successful exploitation potentially devastating. Organizations running these vulnerable versions face significant risk of data breaches, unauthorized system access, and potential compromise of entire web application infrastructures. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic lack of input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to web application security. Security researchers have identified that the issue stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied data in administrative interfaces, particularly affecting parameters used in web application configuration and management functions. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 which describes the use of web application attacks to gain access to systems. The flaw affects both the ColdFusion 11 and ColdFusion 12 product lines, making it a widespread concern across multiple versions. Organizations should immediately implement patches from Adobe to address this vulnerability, as the window for exploitation remains open for systems running unpatched versions. The security implications extend to potential data loss, system compromise, and unauthorized access to sensitive business information. Mitigation strategies include implementing proper input validation, output encoding, and maintaining current security patches across all ColdFusion installations. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and proper web application security controls. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability scans to identify all affected systems and ensure complete patch deployment across their infrastructure. This vulnerability represents a critical weakness in web application security that can be exploited without requiring special privileges or advanced technical skills, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments. The exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to cascading security failures throughout the organization's web infrastructure. Security teams should implement monitoring for suspicious activities and ensure proper access controls are in place to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing proper security controls throughout the software development lifecycle. Organizations should review their incident response procedures to ensure readiness for potential exploitation of this type of vulnerability.