CVE-2025-43566 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE • 05/14/2025
ColdFusion versions 2025.1, 2023.13, 2021.19 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. A high-privileged attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass security protections and gain unauthorized read access. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction and scope is changed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/14/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical path traversal flaw in Adobe ColdFusion systems that affects versions 2025.1, 2023.13, 2021.19 and earlier. The weakness stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input in file path handling mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to manipulate directory traversal sequences and access files outside of intended restricted directories. This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-22, which specifically addresses improper limitation of pathname to restricted directory scenarios. The flaw exists in the application's file system access controls where input validation fails to properly sanitize or restrict path components that could contain directory traversal sequences such as ../ or ..\.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability enables a high-privileged attacker to bypass security protections that are designed to restrict file system access to authorized directories. When ColdFusion processes requests containing malicious path sequences, the system fails to properly validate or canonicalize the file paths before accessing the file system. This allows attackers to navigate beyond the intended application directory structure and read arbitrary files on the underlying operating system. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it does not require user interaction for exploitation, meaning an attacker can directly craft malicious requests to access sensitive files without needing to trick users into performing specific actions. This characteristic places the vulnerability in the ATT&CK matrix under technique T1566 for credential access and privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized file reading, as attackers could potentially access configuration files, database connection strings, application source code, and other sensitive information stored on the file system. The scope of access is significantly broadened due to the high-privileged nature of the attacker required to exploit this vulnerability, suggesting that the system may be running with elevated permissions or that the application's security model has been compromised. This vulnerability could enable attackers to obtain critical system information that would facilitate further exploitation attempts including privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or system compromise. The lack of user interaction requirement means that automated exploitation tools could readily target vulnerable systems, increasing the potential for widespread impact across organizations.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Adobe, implementing strict input validation for all file path operations, and configuring proper directory access controls that prevent traversal beyond intended boundaries. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious file access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The mitigation strategy should also include reviewing and restricting file system permissions for ColdFusion applications, ensuring that the application runs with minimal required privileges. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help detect and block malicious path traversal attempts. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected ColdFusion versions and ensure that proper access controls and monitoring are in place to prevent unauthorized file system access. The remediation process should also include reviewing application code for similar path traversal vulnerabilities in custom components and ensuring that all user-supplied input is properly validated and sanitized before processing.