Adobe has sounded the alarm over a critical vulnerability in its ColdFusion platform. The company released an emergency security update to fix the issue, warning that it poses a serious risk to organizations using the software. The flaw has already been demonstrated in proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code, raising concerns about potential attacks.
What Is the Vulnerability About?
The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-53961, stems from a path traversal weakness in Adobe ColdFusion versions 2023 and 2021. Path traversal issues allow attackers to access files they shouldn’t be able to, potentially exposing sensitive information or system configurations. This particular flaw could enable an attacker to read arbitrary files on affected servers, putting critical data at risk.
Adobe has classified this vulnerability as “Priority 1,” indicating it is both severe and likely to be targeted. In its advisory, Adobe strongly urged administrators to install the fixes immediately—preferably within 72 hours.
Adobe is aware that CVE-2024-53961 has a known proof-of-concept that could cause an arbitrary file system read,” the advisory stated.
How to Protect Your Systems
Adobe’s emergency patches—ColdFusion 2021 Update 18 and ColdFusion 2023 Update 12—are now available and must be implemented as a top priority. Alongside applying these updates, the company has recommended the following steps to enhance security:
- Review the ColdFusion 2023 and 2021 lockdown guides for additional configuration tips.
- Update serial filter settings as per Adobe’s latest documentation to block unsafe Wddx deserialization attacks.
Although Adobe hasn’t confirmed any active exploitation of this vulnerability in the wild, these steps are critical to preemptively thwarting potential threats.
The Bigger Picture: Path Traversal Vulnerabilities
Path traversal vulnerabilities, like the one affecting ColdFusion, are not new but remain a persistent problem. They allow attackers to access unauthorized files by exploiting flaws in file path handling. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has long criticized such vulnerabilities, describing them as “unforgivable” due to their simplicity and potential impact.
In May, CISA highlighted how these flaws could be used to extract sensitive data like credentials, which might then enable further attacks such as brute-forcing accounts or breaching additional systems.
Notable Past Incidents
ColdFusion has had its share of security incidents in recent years:
- July 2023: CISA mandated federal agencies to patch two critical ColdFusion vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-29298 and CVE-2023-38205) by August 10. One of these had already been exploited as a zero-day.
- June 2023: A critical flaw (CVE-2023-26360) was actively exploited in limited attacks since March 2023, affecting outdated government servers.
These recurring issues underline the importance of keeping systems updated and following best practices for security configuration.
What’s Next for ColdFusion Users?
Organizations using ColdFusion should act immediately to apply the latest updates and secure their systems against potential exploits. Adobe’s quick release of emergency patches reflects the seriousness of the situation, but the onus is on administrators to follow through.
- Apply the latest updates (ColdFusion 2021 Update 18 and ColdFusion 2023 Update 12).
- Adhere to Adobe’s lockdown guide recommendations.
- Regularly audit and monitor systems for unusual activity.
Failure to address vulnerabilities like CVE-2024-53961 could leave systems exposed to attackers, particularly as exploit code is already in circulation.
