CVE-2026-90530 in ColdFusion
Summary
by MITRE • 10/15/2026
ColdFusion RDS is affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access sensitive files and directories outside the intended access scope. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction. Scope is changed.
RDS is purely a development feature meant for debugging purposes, and switching ColdFusion to Production Secure Profile automatically disables RDS. The Lockdown Guide outlines the specific step to disable RDS if a ColdFusion server is not being used in Production Secure Profile.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/15/2026
The vulnerability identified as an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal, affects the Remote Development Services (RDS) component within Adobe ColdFusion environments. This security flaw stems from insufficient validation and sanitization of user-supplied input when constructing file system paths for read operations. Specifically, an attacker can manipulate pathname parameters by injecting relative path sequences such as dot-dot-slash characters to escape the designated restricted directory boundaries. By doing so, the application fails to restrict access strictly to the intended scope, allowing the underlying operating system to resolve the maliciously crafted path and retrieve files located outside of the authorized context. This behavior represents a classic failure in input validation where the software does not adequately neutralize special elements that could cause unintended navigation within the file hierarchy.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a severe risk as it enables arbitrary file system read access without requiring any user interaction or authentication credentials if RDS is enabled and accessible over the network. The scope of impact changes from local to remote depending on the configuration, but effectively allows an unauthenticated attacker to exfiltrate sensitive data stored on the server. This can include application source code, database connection strings containing plaintext passwords, system configuration files, and other confidential information that should remain isolated within specific directories. The ability to read arbitrary files compromises the confidentiality of the entire ColdFusion deployment and potentially serves as a foothold for further attacks such as remote code execution if sensitive files like web shells or configuration scripts are exposed and subsequently executed by the application server.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-22, which defines Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this exploitation technique corresponds to ATT&CK tactic T1083, specifically subtechnique File and Directory Discovery, where adversaries explore the target file system to gather information for subsequent stages of an intrusion campaign. The lack of proper boundary enforcement allows attackers to map out the server's directory structure and identify high-value targets that are not immediately visible through standard application interfaces.
Mitigation strategies focus primarily on reducing the attack surface by disabling unnecessary features in production environments. Adobe ColdFusion includes a Production Secure Profile designed for live deployments, which automatically disables RDS since it is intended solely for development and debugging purposes. Administrators should ensure their servers operate under this secure profile to inherently prevent exploitation of path traversal vulnerabilities within RDS. For instances where the server cannot be switched to the Production Secure Profile or if RDS must remain enabled for specific operational reasons, strict adherence to Adobe's Lockdown Guide is required. This involves explicitly disabling RDS through configuration settings and ensuring that network access controls restrict connectivity to trusted development IPs only. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls with rules capable of detecting and blocking path traversal patterns can provide an additional layer of defense against exploitation attempts targeting this weakness.