dbcve.org
ColdfusionApplication · Adobe

CVE-2020-9672

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-07-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
Adobe ColdFusion 2016 update 15 and earlier versions, and ColdFusion 2018 update 9 and earlier versions have a dll search-order hijacking vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to privilege escalation.

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

Adobe ColdFusion 2016 (update 15 and earlier) and ColdFusion 2018 (update 9 and earlier) contain a DLL search-order hijacking vulnerability. This occurs when the application loads DLLs from insecure paths, allowing an attacker to place a malicious DLL in a location where it will be loaded before the legitimate DLL. Successful exploitation enables privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches for ColdFusion 2016 and 2018 to the respective update versions that address this vulnerability. Additionally, ensure ColdFusion runs with minimal privileges and that the application directory is not writable by low-privileged users to prevent DLL planting.

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Check installed ColdFusion version and update level
    Access the ColdFusion Administrator console (usually at /cfide/administrator/ or /cfadmin/) and view the version information, or check the version.txt file in the ColdFusion installation directory. For Windows, you can also check the registry key: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\ColdFusion\CurrentVersion
    Affected if The version is ColdFusion 2016 with update 15 or earlier, OR ColdFusion 2018 with update 9 or earlier
  2. Verify ColdFusion installation directory permissions
    On the server where ColdFusion is installed, check the file system permissions on the main ColdFusion installation folder (typically C:\ColdFusion2016 or C:\ColdFusion2018 on Windows). Use file explorer properties or the icacls command to list permissions.
    Affected if The ColdFusion installation directory or its subdirectories are writable by users other than Administrators or the service account running ColdFusion
  3. Check for writable temp or executable directories
    Inspect directories where ColdFusion may load or execute DLLs from, including the ColdFusion temp directory, bin folder, and any directories in the system PATH that are writable by low-privileged users. Use icacls or file explorer to enumerate permissions.
    Affected if Any directory in the DLL search path (ColdFusion bin, temp, or system PATH) is writable by non-privileged users, allowing DLL planting
  4. Review ColdFusion service account privileges
    Open Services (services.msc), find the ColdFusion service, right-click and select Properties, then check the 'Log on as' account. This account should have minimal privileges and should not have write access to application directories.
    Affected if The ColdFusion service runs under an account with excessive privileges or the same account used by regular users, enabling DLL planting attacks
  5. Check for suspicious DLLs in ColdFusion directories
    Inspect the ColdFusion installation directory (especially bin and lib folders) for any DLL files that were not part of a recent update or installation. Compare file dates and verify against official Adobe DLL lists if available.
    Affected if Unexpected or recently added DLL files exist in the ColdFusion installation directory that could indicate attempted exploitation

You are affected if ColdFusion 2016 is at update 15 or earlier, or ColdFusion 2018 is at update 9 or earlier, AND the installation directory or any directory in the DLL search path is writable by non-privileged 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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches for ColdFusion 2016 and 2018 to the respective update versions that address this vulnerability. Additionally, ensure ColdFusion runs with minimal privileges and that the application directory is not writable by low-privileged users to prevent DLL planting.

Fix this in Coldfusion Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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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-2020-9672 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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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