CVE-2018-15963
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAdobe ColdFusion versions July 12 release (2018.0.0.310739), Update 6 and earlier, and Update 14 and earlier have a security bypass vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary folder creation.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceAdobe ColdFusion versions prior to the July 12 2018 release (2018.0.0.310739) and updates prior to Update 6 for ColdFusion 2018, and prior to Update 14 for other affected versions, contain a security bypass vulnerability that allows an attacker to create arbitrary folders on the server file system.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 11.0= 2016= 2018CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify ColdFusion installed versionAccess the ColdFusion Administrator interface and navigate to the 'Server Settings' > 'Server Info' page, or check the version.txt file in the ColdFusion installation directory (typically {cf_install_root}/lib/version.txt). On Windows, you can also check via the Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\ColdFusion\InstallPath\CurrentVersion.Affected if The installed version is ColdFusion 11.0, 2016, or 2018 and is below the fixed update levels (Update 14 for 11.0/2016, or Update 6/2018.0.0.310739 for 2018)
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Confirm ColdFusion edition and build numberIn ColdFusion Administrator, locate the exact build number displayed on the Server Info page. The build format varies by version: ColdFusion 11 shows Update X (e.g., Update 13), ColdFusion 2016 shows Update X, and ColdFusion 2018 shows a numeric build (e.g., 2018.0.0.XXXXX).Affected if The build number indicates an update level prior to Update 14 for versions 11 and 2016, or prior to 2018.0.0.310739 or Update 6 for version 2018
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Verify admin interface accessibilityAttempt to access the ColdFusion Administrator URL (typically /CFIDE/administrator/ or /cfusion/admin/) from an unauthorized network location, or review web server access logs for attempts to access admin endpoints from external IPs. Check the administrator's web.xml or server configuration for access restrictions.Affected if The ColdFusion Administrator interface is exposed to untrusted networks without IP or authentication restrictions, allowing remote attackers to exploit the folder creation vulnerability
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Inspect web server connector configurationReview the web server connector configuration (isapi_redirect.properties for IIS, httpd.conf for Apache, or the respective web server config) to confirm which ColdFusion services are exposed and whether the administrator endpoints are properly protected or proxied.Affected if The administrator interface lacks proper access controls or network segmentation, enabling unauthenticated folder creation via the security bypass
A system is affected if it runs ColdFusion 11.0, 2016, or 2018 at update levels below Update 14 (for 11.0/2016) or below Update 6/2018.0.0.310739 (for 2018), and the ColdFusion Administrator interface is network-accessible to untrusted users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply the appropriate ColdFusion updates (Update 7 or later for ColdFusion 2018, Update 15 or later for other affected versions) to remediate the security bypass. Restrict network access to ColdFusion administration interfaces as an additional hardening measure.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-15963 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-15963 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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