CVE-2022-38424
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 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 arbitrary file system write. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction, but does require administrator privileges.
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 · high confidenceAdobe ColdFusion versions Update 14 and earlier (for certain release tracks) and Update 4 and earlier are affected by a path traversal vulnerability that allows an authenticated administrator to write arbitrary files to the filesystem, potentially leading to remote code execution.
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= 2018= 2021CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify ColdFusion product versionAccess the ColdFusion Administrator interface and navigate to the 'Server Settings' > 'Version' page, or locate the version file in the installation directory (typically under /cfusion/lib/ or check the welcome email from Adobe). Alternatively, check the 'hotfix' or 'updates' section in the Administrator.Affected if The installed version is ColdFusion 2018 or ColdFusion 2021 with an update level at or below the affected threshold.
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Determine the installed update/hotfix levelIn the ColdFusion Administrator, go to the 'Updates' or 'Hotfixes' section to view the installed update version. This displays the cumulative hotfix level (for example, Update 14 for 2018 or Update 4 for 2021).Affected if The installed update is Update 14 or earlier for ColdFusion 2018, or Update 4 or earlier for ColdFusion 2021.
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Confirm administrator access is availableVerify that the ColdFusion Administrator interface (typically at /CFIDE/administrator/ or /cfadmin/ ) is accessible, even if password-protected. This vulnerability requires an authenticated administrator session to exploit the path traversal flaw.Affected if The ColdFusion Administrator interface is accessible and accepts administrator credentials.
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Review web server access logs for path traversal patternsExamine web server logs (IIS, Apache, or ColdFusion's own logs) for suspicious requests that may indicate exploitation attempts. Look for patterns such as directory traversal sequences (../) in URLs targeting ColdFusion endpoints, particularly those involving file upload or write operations.Affected if Unusual traversal patterns are found in logs targeting ColdFusion endpoints, suggesting attempted or successful exploitation.
Your environment is affected if you are running ColdFusion 2018 with Update 14 or earlier, or ColdFusion 2021 with Update 4 or earlier, and the ColdFusion Administrator interface is accessible (even with authentication).
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to the latest Adobe ColdFusion update that addresses this vulnerability, as indicated in Adobe's security bulletin.
ColdFusion 2018 Update 15+ or ColdFusion 2021 Update 5+
- Identify your current ColdFusion version and update level by checking the ColdFusion Administrator console or the version file
- For ColdFusion 2018: Apply Update 15 or later from Adobe's ColdFusion downloads page
- For ColdFusion 2021: Apply Update 5 or later from Adobe's ColdFusion downloads page
- After applying the update, restart the ColdFusion services
- Verify the update was successful by checking the ColdFusion Administrator > Settings > Version Information page
- Review file system permissions to ensure the principle of least privilege is applied to the ColdFusion service account
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-38424 — 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-2022-38424 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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