CVE-2025-49545 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE • 07/09/2025
ColdFusion versions 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20 and earlier are affected by a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. A high-privilege authenticated attacker can force the application to make arbitrary requests via injection of URLs. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction and scope is changed. The vulnerable component is restricted to internal IP addresses.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2025
This vulnerability resides within Adobe ColdFusion platforms and represents a critical server-side request forgery flaw that enables unauthorized file system access. The affected versions include 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20 and earlier releases, indicating a widespread impact across multiple product generations. The vulnerability operates through URL injection mechanisms that allow authenticated attackers with high privileges to manipulate the application's request handling behavior. This particular flaw is classified under CWE-918 as Server-Side Request Forgery, which specifically addresses situations where applications fail to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied URLs or request parameters, leading to unintended resource access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the application's internal networking capabilities to make arbitrary requests to internal IP addresses. Attackers can leverage this weakness to bypass normal access controls and potentially read arbitrary files from the server's file system. The authentication requirement for exploitation is significant since only high-privilege authenticated users can effectively leverage this vulnerability, though this does not diminish its severity given the potential for lateral movement and data exfiltration. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because it operates within the application's internal network boundaries, allowing attackers to access resources that would normally be protected by network segmentation.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on ColdFusion applications, especially those with complex internal network architectures. The ability to read arbitrary files from the file system could expose sensitive configuration files, database credentials, application source code, and other confidential data. The fact that exploitation does not require user interaction means that automated attacks could be launched, potentially leading to widespread compromise of the affected systems. The scope change aspect indicates that the vulnerability can expand beyond initial access boundaries, allowing attackers to explore internal network resources that are typically isolated from external access.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including patching affected ColdFusion versions to the latest releases, which contain the necessary security fixes for this SSRF vulnerability. Network segmentation controls should be enhanced to restrict internal communication paths and implement strict firewall rules that limit access to critical internal services. Input validation and sanitization mechanisms should be strengthened to prevent URL injection attacks, with particular attention to how user-supplied parameters are processed and validated. Additionally, monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect suspicious request patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol: DNS and T1566.001 for Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment, as attackers may use this vulnerability to access internal resources that could contain credentials or other sensitive information for further exploitation.