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Full vulnerability report · 2018
CVE-2018-15961High confidence

Adobe ColdFusion Unrestricted File Upload Vulnerability

Adobe · ColdFusion

Official source article: Adobe APSB18-33 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.

9.8CriticalCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Protect now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2022-05-03 as the remediation due date.

Fix not verified
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityCriticalOperational priority:Critical, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • CISA confirms exploitation in the wild.
  • A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
  • The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
  • EPSS is 99.95% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Adobe ColdFusion and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 3 daysRemediation target: Within 90 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2018-7817

CISA KEV mirrored by ENISA

Adobe ColdFusion versions July 12 release (2018.0.0.310739), Update 6 and earlier, and Update 14 and earlier have an unrestricted file upload vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Recorded by ENISA since 3 Nov 2021. Evidence sources: cisa_kev.
ENISA score
9.8 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionProtect now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2022-05-03 as the remediation due date.

Fix not verified
01

What, why and how

Adobe ColdFusion contains an unrestricted file upload vulnerability that could allow for code execution.

What

Adobe ColdFusion contains an unrestricted file upload vulnerability that could allow for code execution.

Why

The upload path does not sufficiently restrict the type, name, location or later execution of attacker-supplied files.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

Adobe ColdFusion contains an unrestricted file upload vulnerability that could allow for code execution.

Why

The upload path does not sufficiently restrict the type, name, location or later execution of attacker-supplied files.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Confirmed in the wild

CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2021-11-03.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Reference recorded

A structured CVE source labels at least one public reference as exploit material. BlackTree has not independently validated that it is safe, reliable or weaponised.

Likely attack path
a network path → Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-434 ↗

CWE-434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type. The product allows the upload or transfer of dangerous file types that are automatically processed within its environment.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkUnauthenticatedCWE-434CISA KEVPublic exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-7817Known-exploited evidence recorded

Adobe ColdFusion versions July 12 release (2018.0.0.310739), Update 6 and earlier, and Update 14 and earlier have an unrestricted file upload vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.

Official EUVD record ↗
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · English · AV18-147Adobe security bulletins

Adobe has released security updates for various Adobe products. Affected products: - Flash Player Desktop Runtime 30.0.0.154 and earlier - Flash Player for Google Chrome 30.0.0.154 and earlier - Flash Player for Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11 30.0.0.154 and earlier - ColdFusion, version 2018.0.0.310739 - ColdFusion, update 6 and earlier - ColdFusion, version 11, Update 14 and earlier CVE References: CVE-2018-15967, CVE-2018-15965, CVE-2018-15957, CVE-2018-15958, CVE-2018-15959, CVE-2018-15964, CVE-2018-15963, CVE-2018-15962, CVE-2018-15961, CVE-2018-15960

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2018-AVI-430Multiples vulnérabilités dans Adobe Flash Player et Cold Fusion

De multiples vulnérabilités ont été découvertes dans Adobe Flash Player et Cold Fusion. Elles permettent à un attaquant de provoquer une exécution de code arbitraire, une atteinte à l'intégrité des données et une atteinte à la confidentialité des données.

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2018-009467Adobe ColdFusion における危険なタイプのファイルの無制限アップロードに関する脆弱性

Adobe ColdFusion には、危険なタイプのファイルの無制限アップロードに関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-4943Adobe ColdFusion 보안 업데이트 권고

임의 파일을 업로드하여 코드실행이 가능한 임의코드실행 취약점(CVE-2018-15961)

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix not verified
Affected
ColdFusion: July 12 release (2018.0.0.310739), Update 6 and earlier, and Update 14 and earlier versions
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
No verified patch reference is present in the current structured sources. Check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 25 Sept 2018 · Last source change 21 Oct 2025, 23:45 UTC · CWE-434 · Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-01
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-7817
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCISA ADP
NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. ENISA known-exploited stateENISA EUVD now records this CVE in its known-exploited dataset.
    Before
    not listed in ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset
    After
    listed in ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset (EUVD-2018-7817)
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  2. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2018-7817 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2018-7817"}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  3. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    July 12 release (2018.0.0.310739), Update 6 and earlier, and Update 14 and earlier versions · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
    After
    ColdFusion: July 12 release (2018.0.0.310739), Update 6 and earlier, and Update 14 and earlier versions · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
    CNA ↗
  4. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added vendor advisory: helpx.adobe.com/apsb18-33.html.
    Before
    no authoritative guidance recorded
    After
    vendor advisory: helpx.adobe.com/apsb18-33.html
    helpx.adobe.com ↗
  5. CVSS scoreCVSS scoring authority changed from CISA ADP to NIST NVD; the displayed base score remained 9.8.
    Before
    9.8 (CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    After
    9.8 (CVSS 3.1 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    NIST NVD ↗
  6. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Added to CISA KEV
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-7817↗CISA KEV record↗CVE authority or vendor reference · Adobe APSB18-33↗Public exploit reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2018-15961 · cve.blacktree.nl