dbcve.org
ColdfusionApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-53961

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
ColdFusion versions 2023.11, 2021.17 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access files or directories that are outside of the restricted directory set by the application. This could lead to the disclosure of sensitive information or the manipulation of system data. Exploitation of this issue requires the admin panel be exposed to the internet.

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 confidence

ColdFusion versions 2023.11, 2021.17 and earlier contain a path traversal vulnerability in the admin interface that allows authenticated attackers to read arbitrary files outside the restricted directory by manipulating path inputs.

MitigationImmediately restrict admin panel access to internal networks only (do not expose to the internet). Apply vendor patches when released to address the underlying path traversal vulnerability.

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:= 2021= 2023

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed ColdFusion version
    Access the ColdFusion Administrator console and navigate to the System Information or Settings page to view the exact version number. Alternatively, locate the version file in the ColdFusion installation directory.
    Affected if The installed version is ColdFusion 2021.17 or earlier, or ColdFusion 2023.11 or earlier
  2. Verify admin interface network exposure
    Review firewall rules, reverse proxy configuration, and ColdFusion server configuration to determine whether the ColdFusion Administrator console (typically on port 8500, 8443, or standard web ports) is accessible from networks other than localhost or trusted internal networks.
    Affected if The admin interface is reachable from untrusted or external networks without network-level restrictions
  3. Confirm admin access controls
    Inspect the ColdFusion administrator configuration and web server settings to verify whether authentication is required and if IP-based access restrictions are configured for the admin endpoints.
    Affected if The admin interface lacks proper authentication enforcement or IP-based access controls

Your environment is affected if you are running ColdFusion 2021.17 or earlier or ColdFusion 2023.11 or earlier AND the admin interface is accessible from untrusted networks without adequate access controls.

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

Immediately restrict admin panel access to internal networks only (do not expose to the internet). Apply vendor patches when released to address the underlying path traversal vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

ColdFusion 2023 Update 12+ or ColdFusion 2021 Update 18+

  1. 1. Identify current ColdFusion version by logging into the ColdFusion Administrator console
  2. 2. For ColdFusion 2023 users: Download and install ColdFusion 2023 Update 12 or later from Adobe's official downloads
  3. 3. For ColdFusion 2021 users: Download and install ColdFusion 2021 Update 18 or later from Adobe's official downloads
  4. 4. After installation, restart all ColdFusion services (ColdFusion Application Server, ColdFusion Scheduler)
  5. 5. Verify the installation by checking the ColdFusion Administrator > Settings > About page shows the updated version number
  6. 6. As an additional security measure, ensure the ColdFusion Administrator console is NOT exposed to the public internet - it should be accessible only from trusted internal networks
Caveat Standard ColdFusion updates typically include cumulative hotfixes; review Adobe's release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes before applying in production environments

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

Fix this in Coldfusion Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2024-53961 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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