ColdFusion | Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (CWE-22)
Adobe · ColdFusion
Official source article: Adobe APSB24-107 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.
8.1HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days
High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
Published severityHigh→Operational priority:Critical, raised one band.upgradedsince 25 Mar 2025
Evidence used
No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
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 14.08% for the current model date.
Compensating controls
Apply the linked authoritative mitigation while planning the permanent fix.
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
Confirm that the asset runs Adobe ColdFusion and falls inside the recorded affected range.
Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
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-2024-52216
No EUVD known-exploited evidence
ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.
EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days
High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
Mitigation available
01
What, why and how
ColdFusion versions 2023.11, 2021.17 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access files or directories that are outside of the restricted directory set by the application. This could lead to the disclosure of sensitive information or the manipulation of system data. Exploitation of this issue requires the admin panel be exposed to the internet.
What
ColdFusion versions 2023.11, 2021.17 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access files or directories that are outside of the restricted directory set by the application. This could lead to the disclosure of sensitive information or the manipulation of system data. Exploitation of this issue requires the admin panel be exposed to the internet.
Why
Attacker-controlled path data is not constrained to the intended directory before the application accesses a file.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may obtain information outside the intended access boundary.
What
ColdFusion versions 2023.11, 2021.17 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access files or directories that are outside of the restricted directory set by the application. This could lead to the disclosure of sensitive information or the manipulation of system data. Exploitation of this issue requires the admin panel be exposed to the internet.
Why
Attacker-controlled path data is not constrained to the intended directory before the application accesses a file.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may obtain information outside the intended access boundary.
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.No confirmed evidence
No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
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
CISA Vulnrichment records proof-of-concept exploitation in its SSVC data. BlackTree has not independently executed or validated exploit material.
Likely attack path
a network path → Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') → obtain information outside the intended access boundary
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
High: exploitation depends on specific conditions
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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'). The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
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:H/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.ACHighAttack complexity: Successful exploitation depends on specific conditions outside the attacker's direct control.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.
Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2024-52216Official EUVD mapping
0 linked advisory records.
Official EUVD record ↗BSI · German · WID-SEC-2024-3748Adobe ColdFusion: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Umgehen von Sicherheitsvorkehrungen
Ein entfernter, anonymer Angreifer kann eine Schwachstelle in Adobe ColdFusion ausnutzen, um Sicherheitsvorkehrungen zu umgehen.
Official advisory ↗Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · English · AV24-729Adobe security advisory (AV24–729)
On December 23, 2024, Adobe published a security advisory to address a critical vulnerability in the following products:
Adobe is aware that vulnerability CVE-2024-53961 has a known proof-of-concept.
Official advisory ↗Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20241225Security Bulletin 25 Dec 2024
The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 25 Dec 2024, published on 25 December 2024. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.
Official advisory ↗CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2024-AVI-1106Vulnérabilité dans Adobe ColdFusion
Une vulnérabilité a été découverte dans Adobe ColdFusion. Elle permet à un attaquant de provoquer une atteinte à la confidentialité des données.
Official advisory ↗JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2024-018628アドビの Adobe ColdFusion におけるパストラバーサルの脆弱性
アドビの Adobe ColdFusion には、パストラバーサルの脆弱性が存在します。
Official advisory ↗NCSC-NL · Dutch · NCSC-2024-0498Kwetsbaarheid verholpen in Adobe ColdFusion
De kwetsbaarheid bevindt zich in de manier waarop ColdFusion omgaat met padtraversie. Dit beveiligingsprobleem kan leiden tot ongeautoriseerde toegang tot gevoelige bestanden en mappen die zich buiten de aangewezen beperkte directory van de applicatie bevinden. Een aanvaller kan deze kwetsbaarheid misbruiken om de integriteit en vertrouwelijkheid van gevoelige informatie in gevaar te brengen. Adobe meldt kennis te hebben van een Proof-of-Concept. Deze Proof-of-Concept is (nog) niet publiek beschikbaar.
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.
The Cyber Centre encourages users and administrators to review the provided web links and apply the necessary updates.
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 23 Dec 2024 · Last source change 25 Mar 2025, 14:29 UTC · CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source ?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2024-52216
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD enriched
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
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.