Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessObtain low-privileged local account
-
DeliveryAccess ColdFusion authorization layer
-
ExploitTrigger incorrect authorization check
-
ExecutionEscalate permissions beyond assigned role
-
ImpactRead or write unauthorized ColdFusion resources
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization logic validation
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires an authenticated local session on the ColdFusion 2023 or 2025 host - the CVSS attack vector is Local (AV:L), meaning remote-only attackers cannot exploit this vulnerability directly without first establishing local code execution or an interactive session on the target. A low-privileged account is sufficient (PR:L); no administrative or elevated operating system credentials are needed. No user interaction is required (UI:N). The specific ColdFusion internal feature, API endpoint, or authorization check that is incorrectly implemented is not identified in the available data; the vendor advisory APSB26-90 should be consulted for feature-level specifics. Exploitation is limited to environments where untrusted or semi-trusted users have local system access to the ColdFusion server. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H is internally consistent: local vector limits the attacker pool significantly, but once local access exists, the low complexity and full CIA impact make exploitation straightforward and impactful. EPSS data was not provided, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified from that signal. The vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV and no public POC has been identified, suggesting opportunistic mass exploitation is not currently occurring. Real-world risk is highest on ColdFusion deployments where the server is multi-tenant or accessible to multiple internal users with varying trust levels; even a mid-sized municipal IT team in ustka running shared ColdFusion infrastructure should treat this as urgent pending patching, given that local privilege escalation can pivot to full server compromise. The absence of EPSS and KEV data means the exploitation urgency signal is incomplete - prioritization should lean on the high CIA impact and vendor-confirmed nature of the flaw. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has obtained a low-privileged local account on a ColdFusion server - whether through credential theft, a separate initial-access vulnerability, or legitimate guest access - invokes the flawed authorization path to bypass access controls and gain read and write access to resources beyond their permission level. With full integrity impact (I:H), the attacker could modify ColdFusion application files, configuration, or data, potentially enabling persistent access or lateral movement. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, but the low attack complexity (AC:L) indicates exploitation would be technically straightforward for an attacker already on the system. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026
Privilege escalation in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 allows a low-privileged local user to gain unauthorized read and write access through an Incorrect Authorization flaw (CWE-863). Exploitation requires only a low-privileged local account and no user interaction, yielding full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the affected system. Adobe has published advisory APSB26-90; no public exploit code or CISA KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Apply the patches specified in Adobe security bulletin APSB26-90 (https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb26-90.html); exact fixed version numbers must be confirmed from the advisory, as the CPE data uses wildcards and no specific fix version was included in the provided intelligence. As compensating controls prior to patching, restrict local operating system access to ColdFusion server hosts to only explicitly authorized personnel, run the ColdFusion service under a dedicated least-privilege service account isolated from sensitive data paths, and audit all local user accounts and group memberships on affected hosts. Note that access restriction reduces the attacker pool but does not remediate the underlying authorization flaw - patching remains the authoritative fix.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 2 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Adobe ColdFusion is an enterprise-grade web application development and runtime platform. CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) describes a failure in the authorization enforcement layer - the system correctly identifies the user but improperly validates what resources or operations that user is permitted to access, distinct from authentication bypass (CWE-287). Both ColdFusion 2023 (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion_2023:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) and ColdFusion 2025 (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion_2025:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) are confirmed affected across all sub-versions per NVD CPE data. The CVSS vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H confirms a local, low-complexity exploit path requiring only a low-privileged account, with no scope change to external systems.
Know when Coldfusion 2025 gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local vector and low-privilege requirement align with a post-authentication authorization bypass on a locally-accessed service; full CIA impact reflects unrestricted read/write access gained upon exploitation.
Primary rating from Vendor (adobe).
CVSS VectorVendor: adobe
DescriptionCVE.org
is affected by an Incorrect Authorization vulnerability that could result in privilege escalation. A low-privileged attacker could exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized read and write access. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.
Executive ViewAI
Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 versions are affected by a privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2026-25652) that enables local system users to gain unauthorized access to data and system functions. Any employee or service account with basic system access can escalate privileges without additional user interaction, potentially compromising business-critical applications and sensitive data. Without a patch currently available, ColdFusion deployments require immediate operational mitigation.
Restrict local system access to ColdFusion servers through OS-level account controls and privileged access management (PAM) solutions; implement application-level role-based access controls within ColdFusion to minimize application privileges; enable and monitor host-based intrusion detection for unauthorized file access and privilege escalation attempts; consider network isolation of affected systems if they process sensitive data; maintain incident response readiness in case of suspected exploitation.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
More in Coldfusion 2025
View allOS command injection in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 enables remote, unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary op
Security feature bypass in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 lets attackers with adjacent network access defeat authorizati
Privilege escalation in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 allows a low-privileged authenticated attacker to gain unauthoriz
Cross-site scripting in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 enables arbitrary code execution in the context of an administrat
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 allows adjacent-network attackers to bypass authoriz
Hard-coded cryptographic key in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 enables a local low-privileged attacker to bypass securit
Improper Input Validation in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to bypass security c
Heap-based buffer overflow in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 enables unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitra
OS command injection in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 allows a low-privileged, network-authenticated attacker to bypass
Sensitive memory disclosure in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 stems from the server's use of a broken or risky cryptogra
Incorrect Authorization in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 enables unauthenticated remote attackers to bypass security co
Improper authentication in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 allows unauthenticated adjacent-network attackers to escalate
EUVD-2026-56536
GHSA-594v-hg23-fp42
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB