dbcve.org
ColdfusionApplication · Adobe

CVE-2026-48281

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-30
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 7 weeks old

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 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction. Scope is changed.

In the news

Third-party coverage
Trending covered by 4 outlets this week · latest 1mo ago

Surfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.

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 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier contain an improper input validation vulnerability that allows authenticated or unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current ColdFusion user. Exploitation requires no user interaction and results in complete system compromise.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied ColdFusion updates or hotfixes as soon as available; if immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to ColdFusion administration interfaces and deploy a WAF with rules targeting ColdFusion endpoint abuse.

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:= 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. Identify installed ColdFusion version
    Access the ColdFusion Administrator interface and navigate to Settings > Version Information, or check the version file in the ColdFusion installation directory (typically /opt/coldfusion or C:\ColdFusion202X)
    Affected if The installed version is ColdFusion 2023 (any update) or ColdFusion 2025 (any update), as these fall within the affected version ranges
  2. Verify ColdFusion Administrator accessibility
    Attempt to access the ColdFusion Administrator path (typically /CFIDE/administrator/ or /cfadmin/) from an external or untrusted network location using a web browser or curl command
    Affected if The administrator interface is reachable from networks that should not have administrative access, indicating potential exposure
  3. Inspect exposed ColdFusion endpoints
    Review web server or reverse proxy configuration to identify which ColdFusion paths (CFIDE, cfc, cfm endpoints) are externally accessible
    Affected if ColdFusion endpoints such as /CFIDE/, /cfc/, or .cfm handlers are exposed to untrusted networks without authentication requirements
  4. Check for unauthenticated service endpoints
    Test direct access to ColdFusion debugging, API, or administrator functions without credentials (such as /CFIDE/debug, /services, or similar paths)
    Affected if These service endpoints respond without requiring authentication, enabling the exploitation pathway
  5. Review recent access logs for ColdFusion path activity
    Examine web server access logs (IIS, Apache, Tomcat) for requests to ColdFusion-specific paths, focusing on unusual or automated patterns to CFIDE or cfm endpoints
    Affected if Logs show unexpected requests to ColdFusion endpoints from unknown sources, suggesting potential reconnaissance or exploitation attempts

A user is affected if they are running ColdFusion 2023 or 2025 with any network-accessible ColdFusion endpoints or administrator interface that could accept unauthenticated or authenticated input.

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-supplied ColdFusion updates or hotfixes as soon as available; if immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to ColdFusion administration interfaces and deploy a WAF with rules targeting ColdFusion endpoint abuse.

Recommended fix High confidence

ColdFusion 2023.21+ or ColdFusion 2025.10+ (latest available release)

  1. 1. Identify current ColdFusion version by checking the ColdFusion Administrator dashboard or the version file in the installation directory
  2. 2. Back up all ColdFusion configuration files, databases, and deployed applications before applying any updates
  3. 3. Download the latest ColdFusion 2023 or 2025 release from the official Adobe ColdFusion download page at helpx.adobe.com
  4. 4. For ColdFusion 2023 users: upgrade to version 2023.21 or later (which contains the security fix for this vulnerability)
  5. 5. For ColdFusion 2025 users: upgrade to version 2025.10 or later (which contains the security fix for this vulnerability)
  6. 6. Apply the update using the Adobe update mechanism or installer, following the on-screen instructions
  7. 7. Restart the ColdFusion application server after the update completes
  8. 8. Verify the update was successful by checking the ColdFusion Administrator and confirming the version number
Caveat Standard ColdFusion minor version upgrades typically maintain backward compatibility, but test custom tags, components, and integrations in a staging environment before production deployment

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
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2026-48281 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