CVE-2026-48277: ColdFusion | Improper Input Validation (CWE-20)

Synopsis

An improper input validation vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion (versions 2023.20 and earlier, and 2025.9 and earlier) allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to reach the affected service over the network with no special privileges required. Successful exploitation results in arbitrary code execution in the context of the running ColdFusion process, with a changed scope meaning impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component itself. No fix has been published by Adobe; HarborGuard tracks the advisory for patch availability.

HarborGuard Coverage

Exploit Conditions

• Network reachabilityRequired

  The attacker must reach the ColdFusion service over the network; no local or physical access is assumed by the CVSS vector (AV:N).

• AuthenticationNot required

  No credentials or session token are needed to trigger the vulnerability (PR:N); any unauthenticated request to the exposed service is sufficient.

• Victim interactionNot required

  The exploit fires without any action from a logged-in user or administrator (UI:N); the attacker operates entirely independently.

• Attack complexityDetail

  Exploitation is reliable and condition-free; no race conditions, memory-layout knowledge, or environmental prerequisites are required (AC:L).

Blast Radius

• Executes arbitrary code in the context of the ColdFusion server process, giving the attacker full control over that process and its accessible resources.
• Reads any data the ColdFusion process can access, including database credentials, session tokens, API keys, and application configuration files.
• Writes or modifies files, application state, and persisted data reachable by the server process.
• Because scope is changed (S:C), impact can extend to other components or services that trust or share resources with the ColdFusion instance, such as back-end databases or adjacent internal services.