CVE-2025-43559
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 · uneditedColdFusion versions 2025.1, 2023.13, 2021.19 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. A high-privileged attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass security mechanisms and execute code. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction and scope is changed.
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 confidenceColdFusion versions 2025.1, 2023.13, 2021.19 and earlier contain an improper input validation vulnerability that allows a high-privileged attacker to bypass security mechanisms and achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. This critical flaw requires no user interaction and has a changed scope, potentially affecting resources beyond the vulnerable component.
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= 2021= 2023= 2025CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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 installed versionAccess the ColdFusion Administrator console at /cfide/administrator/ and view the 'Server Settings > ColdFusion Updates' page, or check the version.txt file in the ColdFusion installation root directory. On Windows, you can also check the registry key under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\ColdFusion\{version}\InstallPath. Alternatively, run the command: cfadmin password <password> -echo versionAffected if The installed version matches 2021.x (any build up to 2021.19), 2023.x (any build up to 2023.13), or 2025.x (any build up to 2025.1)
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Verify administrator access controlsCheck if the ColdFusion Administrator interface (default path /cfide/administrator/) is accessible from untrusted networks. Review the administrator password strength and confirm that default credentials are not in use. Check for any unauthorized admin users in the 'Security > Administrator Users' section of the ColdFusion Administrator.Affected if The Administrator interface is exposed to the internet or untrusted networks, or unauthorized administrator accounts exist
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Review ColdFusion server configurationInspect the ColdFusion configuration file (neo-runtime.xml or cf_root/lib/neo-*.xml) for any unexpected or suspicious input validation settings or custom security filter configurations. Also check the server.xml file in the cf_root\/cfusion\/lib directory for any modified security constraints.Affected if Input validation settings have been modified from defaults, or custom security filters are present that may indicate prior exploitation or misconfiguration
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Check for suspicious scheduled tasksReview all scheduled tasks in the ColdFusion Administrator under 'Debugging & Logging > Scheduled Tasks' for any unexpected or malicious tasks that could indicate code execution has occurred.Affected if Unexpected scheduled tasks exist, particularly those executing shell commands, scripts, or external network calls
You are affected if your ColdFusion installation is version 2021.x (through 2021.19), 2023.x (through 2023.13), or 2025.x (through 2025.1), especially if the Administrator interface is network-accessible or you observe suspicious configurations.
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 the vendor patch/updates to ColdFusion to the latest fixed versions (2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20). In the interim, restrict administrative access, implement network segmentation, and deploy WAF rules to detect potential exploitation attempts.
ColdFusion 2021.20+, ColdFusion 2023.14+, ColdFusion 2025.2+
- Review the official Adobe ColdFusion security bulletin at helpx.adobe.com for detailed upgrade instructions
- Ensure you have a complete backup of your ColdFusion instance and configuration before upgrading
- Download the appropriate ColdFusion update from Adobe's official download page
- For ColdFusion 2021: Upgrade to version 2021.20 or later
- For ColdFusion 2023: Upgrade to version 2023.14 or later
- For ColdFusion 2025: Upgrade to version 2025.2 or later
- Apply the update following Adobe's standard ColdFusion update installation procedures
- Verify the update was successful by checking the ColdFusion administrator console
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-43559 — 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-2025-43559 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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