dbcve.org
ColdfusionApplication · Adobe

CVE-2019-8074

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-09-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
ColdFusion 2018- update 4 and earlier and ColdFusion 2016- update 11 and earlier have a Path Traversal vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to Access Control Bypass in the context of the current user.

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 confidence

A path traversal vulnerability in ColdFusion 2018 (update 4 and earlier) and ColdFusion 2016 (update 11 and earlier) allows attackers to manipulate file path references to access files outside the intended directory scope, leading to unauthorized access and access control bypass in the context of the current user.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided security updates: ColdFusion 2018 should be updated to update 5 or later, and ColdFusion 2016 should be updated to update 12 or later. Additionally, implement input validation and restrict file system permissions as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
ColdfusionApplication
Affected:= 2016= 2018

CVSS 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify ColdFusion edition and major version
    Check the ColdFusion administrator interface (typically at /CFIDE/administrator/) or check the registry (HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\ColdFusion\InstallDir) for the installed version. Look for '2016' or '2018' in the version string.
    Affected if The installed version is Adobe ColdFusion 2016 or 2018.
  2. Determine ColdFusion 2018 update level
    In ColdFusion Administrator, go to Settings > Update or check the version.ini file (typically in cf_root\cfusionin or via the Administrator UI). Look for the 'Updates' section showing the update number.
    Affected if The update level is 4 or earlier (update 4, 3, 2, 1, or no update applied).
  3. Determine ColdFusion 2016 update level
    In ColdFusion Administrator, go to Settings > Update or check the version.ini file. Look for the 'Updates' section showing the update number.
    Affected if The update level is 11 or earlier (update 11, 10, 9, etc., or no update applied).
  4. Verify file handling configuration
    Review the ColdFusion Administrator settings under 'Server Settings > Settings' or 'Mappings' to understand how file paths are handled. Check for any custom file access endpoints or mappings that accept user-supplied path input.
    Affected if File handling features that accept user input are accessible without additional validation layers.

Your environment is affected if ColdFusion 2016 with update 11 or earlier, or ColdFusion 2018 with update 4 or earlier, is installed and file handling endpoints are accessible to users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided security updates: ColdFusion 2018 should be updated to update 5 or later, and ColdFusion 2016 should be updated to update 12 or later. Additionally, implement input validation and restrict file system permissions as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

ColdFusion 2018 Update 5 or later; ColdFusion 2016 Update 12 or later

  1. Check current ColdFusion version by navigating to the ColdFusion Administrator dashboard and reviewing the version information
  2. Download the appropriate security patch from Adobe's official ColdFusion security bulletins page (helpx.adobe.com)
  3. For ColdFusion 2018: Apply Update 5 or later which contains the fix for CVE-2019-8074
  4. For ColdFusion 2016: Apply Update 12 or later which contains the fix for CVE-2019-8074
  5. After applying the patch, restart the ColdFusion application server services
  6. Verify the patch was successfully applied by checking the updated version in the ColdFusion Administrator
  7. Test critical application functionality to ensure normal operations
Caveat Adobe security updates typically do not introduce breaking changes but regression testing is recommended

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Coldfusion Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-8074 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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