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ColdfusionApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-49538

HIGH · 7.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
83/100
Remediation priority · High
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 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20 and earlier are affected by an XML Injection vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker can exploit this issue by injecting crafted XML or XPath queries to access unauthorized files or lead to denial of service. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction, and attack must have access to shared secrets.

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 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20 and earlier contain an XML Injection vulnerability in XML/XPath query processing. Attackers with access to shared secrets can inject malicious XML or XPath queries to read arbitrary files from the server filesystem or cause denial of service. No user interaction is required for exploitation.

MitigationApply vendor patches for this vulnerability when released. Restrict and rotate shared secrets immediately, implement strict input validation on all XML/XPath processing endpoints, and audit ColdFusion configurations for unnecessary XML processing capabilities.

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= 2025

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 ColdFusion version
    Access the ColdFusion Administrator console (typically at /cfadmin or /CFIDE/administrator) and navigate to the System Information or Settings page to view the installed version. Alternatively, check the version file in the ColdFusion installation directory or review the product registry entry.
    Affected if The installed version is any release of ColdFusion 2021, 2023, or 2025 prior to the patched versions (2021.20, 2023.14, 2025.2).
  2. Locate XML and XPath processing implementations
    Search the codebase for ColdFusion tags and functions that process XML, including <cfxml>, XmlParse(), XmlSearch(), XPathEvaluate(), and custom XML parsing logic in .cfm and .cfc files.
    Affected if The application uses any XML parsing or XPath query functions to process user-supplied or externally-sourced XML data.
  3. Review shared secret configurations
    Examine ColdFusion configuration files (typically in the lib or lib/classes directory, or in the ColdFusion Administrator settings) for stored shared secrets, API keys, or authentication tokens used for inter-service communication.
    Affected if Shared secrets, API keys, or tokens are configured and accessible, particularly those allowing access to XML/XPath processing endpoints.
  4. Identify exposed XML processing endpoints
    Audit web server logs and application routing configurations to identify endpoints that accept XML input or execute XPath queries, particularly those reachable without authentication or via the discovered shared secrets.
    Affected if Endpoints accepting XML or XPath queries are exposed and accessible using the configured shared secrets.

A user is affected if they run any ColdFusion 2021, 2023, or 2025 version prior to the patched releases AND have XML/XPath processing enabled with accessible shared secrets.

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

Apply vendor patches for this vulnerability when released. Restrict and rotate shared secrets immediately, implement strict input validation on all XML/XPath processing endpoints, and audit ColdFusion configurations for unnecessary XML processing capabilities.

Recommended fix High confidence

ColdFusion 2021 Update 21 / ColdFusion 2023 Update 15 / ColdFusion 2025 Update 3

  1. 1. Identify the current ColdFusion version by accessing the ColdFusion Administrator or checking the version info in the /cfusion/lib directory
  2. 2. Navigate to the Adobe ColdFusion downloads page at helpx.adobe.com or the Adobe Exchange portal
  3. 3. Download the appropriate update package for your edition (Enterprise or Standard)
  4. 4. Backup your current ColdFusion installation including the cfusion directory and any custom configurations
  5. 5. Stop the ColdFusion application server service
  6. 6. Run the installer for the update (e.g., ColdFusion 2021 Update 21, ColdFusion 2023 Update 15, or ColdFusion 2025 Update 3)
  7. 7. Follow the on-screen installation prompts, selecting the existing ColdFusion installation directory when prompted
  8. 8. After installation completes, start the ColdFusion application server service
Caveat Standard Adobe update - minimal risk; ensure thorough testing of custom code that uses XML or XPath functions after patching

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

Fix this in Coldfusion Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation10.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
26.0 hours of engineering $4,620
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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-2025-49538 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data