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ColdfusionApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-54261

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
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 2025.3, 2023.15, 2021.21 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution by an attacker. The victim must have optional configurations enabled. 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 · moderate confidence

ColdFusion versions 2025.3, 2023.15, 2021.21 and earlier contain a path traversal vulnerability that allows attackers to escape restricted directories and access arbitrary files on the system. When certain optional configurations are enabled, this vulnerability can be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the vendor patch for this vulnerability and review/disable the optional configurations referenced in the ColdFusion security advisory. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict access to ColdFusion administration interfaces and monitor for suspicious path-based requests.

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
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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

  1. Determine installed ColdFusion version
    Check the ColdFusion administrator interface (typically at /cfide/administrator/) or inspect the version file in the ColdFusion installation directory. On Windows, this may be in the registry or in a version.properties file within the installation folder.
    Affected if The installed version is 2025.3, 2023.15, 2021.21 or any version earlier than these three (e.g., 2021.20, 2023.14, 2025.2).
  2. Identify optional configurations related to file handling
    Review the ColdFusion administrator settings for any optional features related to file access, directory browsing, or remote file inclusion. Check the server configuration files (typically neo-*.xml or server.xml) for non-default settings that enable expanded file system access.
    Affected if Any optional configuration that expands file system access permissions beyond defaults is enabled.
  3. Audit file path parameter usage
    Search web application source code and CFML files for any endpoints or functions that accept file path parameters from user input, particularly those using functions like fileRead, fileWrite, include, cfinclude, or directory operations.
    Affected if The application uses user-supplied input as file paths in any file operation functions.
  4. Review access control to restricted directories
    Examine the ColdFusion administrator to verify which directories are configured as allowed (restricted) directories for file access operations. Check if the default restrictions are in place or have been modified.
    Affected if The restricted directory configuration has been modified from defaults or allows access to directories outside the intended web root.

A user is affected if their ColdFusion installation version falls within 2025.3, 2023.15, 2021.21 or earlier AND they have enabled the optional configurations that allow expanded file system access that can be exploited via path traversal.

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 the vendor patch for this vulnerability and review/disable the optional configurations referenced in the ColdFusion security advisory. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict access to ColdFusion administration interfaces and monitor for suspicious path-based requests.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

ColdFusion 2021.22+ / 2023.16+ / 2025.4+ (depending on your current installation)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed ColdFusion version by checking the ColdFusion Administrator dashboard or the version.json file in the installation directory
  2. 2. For ColdFusion 2021: Upgrade to version 2021.22 or later
  3. 3. For ColdFusion 2023: Upgrade to version 2023.16 or later
  4. 4. For ColdFusion 2025: Upgrade to version 2025.4 or later
  5. 5. Download the appropriate update from the Adobe ColdFusion downloads page (helpx.adobe.com)
  6. 6. Back up your ColdFusion instance, including the lib directory, custom tags, and any database configurations
  7. 7. Apply the update by running the installer with administrator privileges
  8. 8. After upgrade, restart the ColdFusion Application Server service
Caveat Standard ColdFusion update; review release notes for deprecated features or configuration changes in the new version

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

Fix this in Coldfusion Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
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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-2025-54261 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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