Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain administrative network segment access
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DeliveryCraft malicious file with XSS payload
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ExploitDeliver file to ColdFusion admin via phishing or shared drive
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ExecutionAdmin opens malicious file in ColdFusion interface
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PersistXSS payload executes in admin browser session
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ImpactArbitrary server-side code executes on ColdFusion host
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Output encoding, context-aware escaping
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | The attacker must be positioned on the administrative network segment or have adjacent network access - the ColdFusion administrative component is restricted to this zone by default, which prevents direct internet-based exploitation. An administrative user must actively open a malicious file (UI:R), requiring the attacker to deliver the file and socially engineer the admin into interacting with it. No authentication is required of the attacker (PR:N per the CVSS vector), but this applies only within the administrative network boundary. Exploitation is blocked for: internet-facing unauthenticated attackers without network adjacency to the admin zone, non-administrative users without access to the ColdFusion Administrator interface, and environments where strict file-type allowlisting or sandboxed file preview prevents admin users from opening arbitrary external files. |
| Impact | The CVSS 8.8 score reflects genuinely high severity, though the AV:A (adjacent network) constraint is a meaningful risk moderator - exploitation is limited to attackers with access to the administrative network segment, which in well-segmented environments significantly reduces the exposed attack surface. The scope change (S:C) with C:H/I:H/A:H confirms that successful exploitation yields full system compromise, not merely browser-level script injection. No EPSS data was provided in the source intelligence, and the absence of a CISA KEV listing combined with no confirmed public exploit suggests this vulnerability has not yet seen widespread automated exploitation. Even a mid-sized municipal IT team in walbrzych running ColdFusion for internal line-of-business applications should treat this as urgent patching work given the full CIA impact and the relative ease of social engineering an admin into opening a malicious file once the attacker achieves adjacency (AC:L, UI:R). The UI:R requirement provides some theoretical friction but is not a reliable barrier in practice given the prevalence of phishing and shared network drive scenarios. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with access to the administrative network segment crafts a malicious file embedding an XSS payload designed to execute within ColdFusion's administrative interface - for example, a file that triggers server-side CFML processing when an admin opens or previews it. The attacker delivers this file to an administrative user via phishing, a shared network drive, or a support ticket workflow. When the admin opens the file through the ColdFusion interface, the injected script executes in the admin's browser session and leverages ColdFusion's server-side execution capabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution, resulting in full system compromise with changed scope. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026
Cross-site scripting in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 enables arbitrary code execution in the context of an administrative user when a victim opens a crafted malicious file. The vulnerable component is restricted to the administrative network zone by default (AV:A), limiting exposure to internal or VPN-connected segments, but the scope change (S:C) with full CIA impact confirms that successful exploitation can cascade beyond the immediate ColdFusion application context. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis; however, Adobe's advisory APSB26-90 confirms the RCE potential and the high severity rating of 8.8.
RemediationAI
Apply the patch detailed in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB26-90 (https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb26-90.html) - this is the primary and definitive fix; exact patched version numbers must be confirmed from the bulletin directly as they are not independently verified in available data. As compensating controls pending patching: ensure the ColdFusion administrative interface remains strictly confined to the administrative network zone (the default configuration) and enforce VPN or jump-host requirements for any administrative access, which preserves the AV:A boundary that limits attacker reachability. Restrict or disable file upload and file preview functionality within the ColdFusion Administrator where not operationally required, since exploitation depends on a victim opening a malicious file - removing that interaction pathway eliminates the UI:R trigger condition. Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers on the ColdFusion admin interface as a defense-in-depth layer to constrain XSS payload execution scope.
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 a commercial Java-based application server and rapid web development platform used primarily in enterprise environments. The vulnerability affects ColdFusion 2023 (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion_2023:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) and ColdFusion 2025 (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion_2025:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*). CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation) identifies the root cause as insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input before it is rendered in the browser, enabling script injection. In ColdFusion's administrative context, XSS is particularly dangerous because the admin interface has direct access to server-side CFML execution capabilities, file system operations, and database connectivity - meaning injected client-side scripts can be leveraged to trigger server-side code execution, explaining the scope change (S:C) in the CVSS vector.
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Severity by source
AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
AV:A confirmed by default admin zone restriction; S:C reflects XSS-to-RCE scope crossing; full CIA from arbitrary code execution.
Primary rating from Vendor (adobe).
CVSS VectorVendor: adobe
DescriptionCVE.org
is affected by a Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerable component is restricted to an administrative network zone by default. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file. Scope is changed.
Executive ViewAI
A cross-site scripting vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 (CVSS 8.8) enables remote code execution when administrative users interact with malicious files, putting administrative access and potentially wider systems at risk. No vendor patch is currently available, requiring immediate compensating controls to protect critical administrative infrastructure from this high-severity threat.
Implement immediate network access controls restricting ColdFusion administrative interfaces to trusted internal network segments; disable or restrict file upload functionality on affected components; enforce strong authentication and comprehensive audit logging for all administrative access; educate administrators to avoid opening untrusted files from email or external sources until vendor patch is available.
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
Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.
Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.
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EUVD-2026-56538
GHSA-gvhj-hqg3-q4qg
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB