dbcve.org
ColdfusionApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-38422

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-10-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Adobe ColdFusion versions Update 14 (and earlier) and Update 4 (and earlier) are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could result in information disclosure. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.

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 versions Update 14 and earlier (and Update 4 and earlier) contain a path traversal vulnerability that allows attackers to access files outside the restricted directory through specially crafted pathname inputs, leading to information disclosure. This issue can be exploited without any user interaction.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security updates (Update 15 or Update 5 depending on the release track) to resolve the path traversal vulnerability. Consider implementing additional input validation and access controls 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:= 2018= 2021

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
None
Availability
None

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

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

  1. Verify ColdFusion 2018 or 2021 installation
    Check the installed Adobe ColdFusion version by reviewing the product installation or checking the ColdFusion administrator interface (typically at /CFIDE/administrator/). The version information is usually displayed on the administrator home page or in the installer documentation.
    Affected if ColdFusion 2018 or 2021 is not installed (the vulnerability only affects these specific versions)
  2. Determine the installed Update version for ColdFusion 2018
    In the ColdFusion 2018 administrator interface, navigate to the System Information or About page to view the installed update version. Alternatively, check the patch log files in the ColdFusion installation directory for applied updates.
    Affected if The installed Update version is 14 or earlier (Update 14, 13, 12, etc.)
  3. Determine the installed Update version for ColdFusion 2021
    In the ColdFusion 2021 administrator interface, navigate to the System Information or About page to view the installed update version. Alternatively, check the patch log files in the ColdFusion installation directory for applied updates.
    Affected if The installed Update version is 4 or earlier (Update 4, 3, 2, etc.)
  4. Confirm network exposure of ColdFusion service
    Verify that the ColdFusion web service is accessible over the network. This vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, so check if the ColdFusion ports (default 8500 or 8080 for HTTP) are exposed to untrusted networks.
    Affected if The ColdFusion service is directly accessible from untrusted networks without firewall restrictions

You are affected if ColdFusion 2018 with Update 14 or earlier, or ColdFusion 2021 with Update 4 or earlier, is installed and the service is network-accessible.

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-supplied security updates (Update 15 or Update 5 depending on the release track) to resolve the path traversal vulnerability. Consider implementing additional input validation and access controls as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

ColdFusion 2018 Update 15+ or ColdFusion 2021 Update 5+ (or latest available update for respective version)

  1. 1. Identify your current ColdFusion installation version and update level
  2. 2. For ColdFusion 2018: Upgrade to Update 15 or later by downloading from Adobe's ColdFusion downloads page
  3. 3. For ColdFusion 2021: Upgrade to Update 5 or later by downloading from Adobe's ColdFusion downloads page
  4. 4. Apply the update following Adobe's standard installation instructions
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the ColdFusion Administrator is accessible and services start normally
  6. 6. Test critical applications to ensure functionality is preserved
Caveat Standard ColdFusion update - review release notes for any deprecated features or configuration changes before applying

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

Fix this in Coldfusion Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2022-38422 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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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data