dbcve.org
ColdfusionApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-61823

MEDIUM · 6.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
66/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22 and earlier are affected by an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. A high privileged attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access sensitive files and data on the server. Exploitation of this issue requires 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 confidence

ColdFusion versions 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22 and earlier contain an XXE vulnerability where malicious XML input with external entity references allows a high-privileged attacker to read arbitrary files from the server file system. Exploitation requires user interaction.

MitigationUpdate ColdFusion to the latest patched version. Additionally, disable external entity processing in XML parsers and implement strict input validation for XML uploads or parsing endpoints.

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
High
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/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 checks

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

  1. Identify ColdFusion version
    Check the ColdFusion administrator console (typically at /cfide/administrator/) or check the version.ini file in the ColdFusion installation directory. You can also query the ColdFusion service via the administrator API.
    Affected if The installed version is 2025.4 or earlier, 2023.16 or earlier, 2021.22 or earlier, or any version of 2021/2023/2025 without the respective patch.
  2. Locate XML input endpoints
    Review your web application for endpoints that accept XML uploads or parse XML data. Common patterns include .cfm pages handling SOAP requests, XML import functionality, or API endpoints accepting XML content types.
    Affected if XML parsing endpoints exist and accept untrusted user input without sanitization.
  3. Verify XML parser configuration
    Check the ColdFusion administrator settings under 'Server Settings' > 'Settings' or review the neo-xml.xml and parser configuration files in the lib directory. Inspect any custom XML parser initialization code in your application.
    Affected if External entity processing is enabled or no XXE protection is configured in XML parsers.
  4. Review XML handling code
    Search your codebase for uses of XmlParse(), XmlNew(), or third-party XML libraries. Look for code that processes XML without disabling external entities.
    Affected if XML parsing functions are used and do not explicitly disable external entity resolution.

You are affected if your ColdFusion version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND you have XML parsing functionality exposed to users without XXE protections in place.

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

Update ColdFusion to the latest patched version. Additionally, disable external entity processing in XML parsers and implement strict input validation for XML uploads or parsing endpoints.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

ColdFusion 2021 to 2021.23+, ColdFusion 2023 to 2023.17+, ColdFusion 2025 to 2025.5+

  1. Identify your current ColdFusion version by checking the ColdFusion Administrator console or the version file
  2. For ColdFusion 2021: Upgrade to version 2021.23 or later (the next scheduled update after 2021.22)
  3. For ColdFusion 2023: Upgrade to version 2023.17 or later (the next scheduled update after 2023.16)
  4. For ColdFusion 2025: Upgrade to version 2025.5 or later (the next scheduled update after 2025.4)
  5. Download the latest ColdFusion update from the Adobe ColdFusion downloads page (helpex.adobe.com)
  6. Apply the update by running the installer following Adobe's standard update procedure
  7. Restart ColdFusion services after the update completes
  8. Verify the update was successful by checking the ColdFusion Administrator version information
Caveat Standard Adobe ColdFusion updates typically preserve configuration; however, test thoroughly in a staging environment before production deployment as with any update

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

Fix this in Coldfusion Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2025-61823 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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