CVE-2022-42340
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 Input Validation vulnerability that could result in arbitrary file system read. 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 · high confidenceAdobe ColdFusion suffers from an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary files from the server's filesystem. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input, likely a path traversal issue, and requires no user interaction to exploit.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed ColdFusion versionAccess the ColdFusion Administrator interface or check the version file (typically in the ColdFusion installation directory under /lib or via the welcome page). On Windows, also check the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\ColdFusion\ for the Version key.Affected if The installed version is exactly 2018 or exactly 2021 (prior to the respective updates)
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Determine if ColdFusion endpoints allow unauthenticated accessReview the web server or ColdFusion configuration to identify which endpoints are accessible without authentication. Common paths include /CFIDE/, /CFFormGateway/, and API-related paths. Attempt to access these endpoints externally or review access control configuration files.Affected if ColdFusion endpoints are exposed to unauthenticated (anonymous) users without requiring valid credentials
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Check for path traversal vulnerability exposureInspect web application firewall rules or proxy configurations for attempts to block path traversal patterns such as ../, ..\, or URL-encoded equivalents. Review any existing blocks or logs for such patterns targeting ColdFusion endpoints.Affected if No web application firewall or input validation is in place to block path traversal patterns on ColdFusion endpoints
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Verify whether file read access is possibleIf you have command access, attempt to read a test file outside the web root using a path traversal payload through a ColdFusion endpoint (e.g., ../../../../../../../../../../../../etc/passwd). In a safe test environment, send a crafted request to identify if arbitrary file read is possible.Affected if The server returns file contents from outside the intended directory, confirming the path traversal vulnerability is exploitable
A user is affected if their ColdFusion installation is version 2018 or 2021, the server has no input validation or WAF protection against path traversal, and ColdFusion endpoints are accessible to unauthenticated 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.
dbcve · scopedApply ColdFusion Update 15 (for versions prior to Update 15) or Update 5 (for versions prior to Update 5) to remediate the improper input validation. Alternatively, restrict unauthenticated access to ColdFusion endpoints and implement web application firewall rules to block path traversal patterns.
ColdFusion 2018 Update 15+ or ColdFusion 2021 Update 5+ (latest available update recommended)
- Log in to the Adobe ColdFusion administrator console or check current version via the ColdFusion Administrator (Settings > Updates > Version)
- Navigate to the Adobe ColdFusion downloads page (helpx.adobe.com) and locate the appropriate update for your version
- For ColdFusion 2018: Download and install Update 15 or later
- For ColdFusion 2021: Download and install Update 5 or later
- After installation, restart the ColdFusion application server services
- Verify the update was applied successfully by checking the version in ColdFusion Administrator
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-42340 — 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-2022-42340 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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