Adobe ColdFusion CVE-2025-61821
MEDIUMSeverity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Network-reachable XML endpoint with no auth or UI, but Adobe's 'conditions beyond attacker's control' language justifies AC:H; confidentiality-only file read with scope change to underlying OS files.
Primary rating from NVD.
CVSS VectorNVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionNVD
ColdFusion versions 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22 and earlier are affected by an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access sensitive files and data on the server. Exploit depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction and scope is changed.
AnalysisAI
Arbitrary file read in Adobe ColdFusion 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22 and earlier stems from an XML External Entity (XXE) flaw (CWE-611) that lets remote unauthenticated attackers retrieve sensitive files from the server. Adobe rates the issue 8.6 (CVSS 3.1) with a scope change, and no public exploit is identified at time of analysis, though the description notes exploitation depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control.
Technical ContextAI
ColdFusion is Adobe's commercial application server for the CFML language, widely used to build web and enterprise applications on top of a Java runtime. The root cause class CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) occurs when an XML parser resolves external entity references in attacker-controlled XML input, allowing the parser to fetch file:// or http:// resources defined by the attacker. ColdFusion processes XML in many places (SOAP web services, WDDX packets, cfxml/cfhttp tags, REST endpoints), and any of these surfaces accepting untrusted XML without disabling external entities can be coerced into reading local files and returning their contents in the response or via blind out-of-band channels. CPE data confirms the affected codebase is the Adobe ColdFusion 2021 branch (updates 1 through 17 and earlier enumerated) with parallel exposure in the 2023 and 2025 branches per the advisory.
RemediationAI
Upgrade to the fixed releases listed in Adobe security bulletin APSB25-105 (https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb25-105.html) - that is, ColdFusion 2025 Update 5 or later, ColdFusion 2023 Update 17 or later, and ColdFusion 2021 Update 23 or later - following Adobe's standard ColdFusion update process and restarting the application server. Until patches can be deployed, restrict network exposure of the ColdFusion administrator and any application endpoints that accept XML, SOAP, WDDX or REST payloads to trusted networks via firewall or reverse-proxy ACLs, enable Adobe's secure-profile lockdown guide for the affected version, and inspect application code to ensure any custom XML parsing uses ColdFusion's XmlParse with the disallowDoctypeDecl/external-entity-disabling options; note that blocking XML endpoints can break legitimate SOAP or WDDX integrations and that lockdown mode tightens permissions in ways that may affect existing applications.
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