CVE-2023-29301
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 2018u16 (and earlier), 2021u6 (and earlier) and 2023.0.0.330468 (and earlier) are affected by an Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts vulnerability that could result in a Security feature bypass. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to impact the confidentiality of the user. 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 versions 2018u16 and earlier, 2021u6 and earlier, and 2023.0.0.330468 and earlier contain an Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts vulnerability. This allows attackers to bypass security controls designed to limit or lock out repeated authentication attempts, potentially enabling brute force or credential stuffing attacks against user accounts. The vulnerability can be exploited without any user interaction.
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>= 2023, <= 2023.0.0.330468= 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 the installed ColdFusion versionAccess the ColdFusion Administrator interface and navigate to the System Information or Settings page to view the exact version number. Alternatively, check the version.txt file or the installer logs in the ColdFusion installation directory.Affected if The installed version is 2018u16 or earlier, 2021u6 or earlier, or 2023.0.0.330468 or earlier.
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Confirm the ColdFusion update level for 2018, 2021, or 2023 releasesIn the Administrator interface, locate the detailed version information which displays the update level (e.g., u16 for version 2018, u6 for version 2021). Verify whether the update number matches or exceeds the fixed versions.Affected if The update level shown is below u17 for ColdFusion 2018, below u7 for ColdFusion 2021, or below 330469 for ColdFusion 2023.
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Determine if web-based administrative or login interfaces are exposedReview your network configuration, firewall rules, and web server settings to check whether the ColdFusion Administrator, CFIDE, or any custom login endpoints are accessible from untrusted networks or the internet.Affected if The administrative or login interfaces are accessible from external networks without proper network segmentation or additional authentication barriers.
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Review authentication attempt limitation settingsIn the ColdFusion Administrator, navigate to the Security or Server Settings section to inspect any configurable settings related to failed login attempts, account lockout, or session management. Note whether such protections are present and enabled.Affected if Authentication attempt restrictions are not visibly configured, have been modified from defaults, or are absent from the security settings.
A user is affected if their ColdFusion installation version falls within the affected ranges (2018u16 and earlier, 2021u6 and earlier, or 2023.0.0.330468 and earlier) and the login or administrative interfaces are network-accessible.
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 · scopedUpdate ColdFusion to version 2018u17 or later, 2021u7 or later, or 2023.0.0.330469 or later, or apply the relevant vendor security patches to restore proper authentication attempt restrictions.
ColdFusion 2018 Update 17+ | ColdFusion 2021 Update 7+ | ColdFusion 2023 (2023.0.0.330469 or later)
- 1. Back up your current ColdFusion installation and configuration files
- 2. Identify your current ColdFusion version in the ColdFusion Administrator under 'Server Settings > Settings Summary'
- 3. Download the appropriate security update from the Adobe ColdFusion security bulletin (APSB23-34)
- 4. For ColdFusion 2018: Apply Update 17 or later
- 5. For ColdFusion 2021: Apply Update 7 or later
- 6. For ColdFusion 2023: Apply version 2023.0.0.330469 or later
- 7. Restart the ColdFusion Application Server service after applying the update
- 8. Verify the update was successful by checking the version in ColdFusion Administrator
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-29301 — 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-2023-29301 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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