CVE-2025-61808: 
Adobe ColdFusion vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-61808 is an Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type vulnerability (CWE-434) in Adobe ColdFusion that allows a high-privileged, authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely. The vulnerability affects ColdFusion 2021 (through Update 22), ColdFusion 2023 (through Update 16), and ColdFusion 2025 (through Update 4). It was disclosed by Adobe on December 9, 2025, via security bulletin APSB25-105, with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (Critical) (Adobe Advisory, NVD). The Zero Day Initiative published additional advisory details (ZDI-26-070) on February 6, 2026, describing the flaw as a directory traversal issue in CAR file parsing (ZDI Advisory).

The vulnerability is rooted in insufficient validation of user-supplied file paths during the parsing of ColdFusion Archive (CAR) files, classified as CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type). According to ZDI's advisory, the flaw is more specifically a directory traversal weakness in CAR file parsing that allows an attacker to write files to arbitrary locations on the server, ultimately enabling remote code execution (ZDI Advisory). Exploitation requires network access and high-level (administrative) privileges but does not require user interaction; the changed scope indicates that a successful exploit can impact resources beyond the vulnerable component itself (Adobe Advisory). A technical write-up published in January 2026 details the RCE path via ColdFusion Archive files (HoyaHaxa Blog).

Successful exploitation allows a remote, authenticated administrator to execute arbitrary code in the context of the SYSTEM account on the affected ColdFusion server, resulting in complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability (Adobe Advisory). The changed scope means the attacker can affect resources beyond the ColdFusion application itself, enabling lateral movement within the network, data exfiltration, and potential deployment of persistent backdoors or ransomware. All three major supported ColdFusion release lines (2021, 2023, and 2025) across dozens of update versions are affected (NVD).

A proof-of-concept advisory is publicly available via the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI-26-070), though no functional exploit code has been confirmed publicly released and no active in-the-wild exploitation has been observed as of the available intelligence (ZDI Advisory). The EPSS score is approximately 0.368%, indicating a relatively low (but non-negligible) probability of exploitation in the near term. The vulnerability is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Exploitation requires high-level administrative privileges, which limits the attacker pool but does not eliminate risk from insider threats or compromised admin accounts.

1. Reconnaissance: Identify internet-facing Adobe ColdFusion instances running vulnerable versions (2021 ≤ Update 22, 2023 ≤ Update 16, 2025 ≤ Update 4) using tools like Shodan or Censys, or by fingerprinting the ColdFusion Administrator login page.
2. Obtain administrative credentials: Acquire valid high-privileged (administrator-level) credentials through phishing, credential stuffing, or reuse of previously compromised credentials, as exploitation requires authentication.
3. Authenticate to ColdFusion Administrator: Log in to the ColdFusion Administrator interface using the obtained credentials.
4. Craft a malicious CAR file: Create a specially crafted ColdFusion Archive (CAR) file containing a path traversal sequence in the embedded file paths, designed to write a malicious file (e.g., a CFML web shell) to a web-accessible directory outside the intended archive extraction path.
5. Upload and trigger CAR file parsing: Use the ColdFusion Administrator's archive/deployment functionality to upload and process the malicious CAR file, triggering the directory traversal during file extraction.
6. Execute arbitrary code: Access the dropped web shell or malicious file via the web server to execute arbitrary commands in the context of the SYSTEM account, enabling full system compromise (ZDI Advisory, HoyaHaxa Blog).

• Network: Unusual HTTP POST requests to ColdFusion Administrator endpoints related to archive/deployment functionality from unexpected source IPs; outbound connections from the ColdFusion server to unknown external hosts following archive operations.
• File System: Unexpected .cfm or .cfc files written outside the normal ColdFusion web root or deployment directories; newly created files in web-accessible paths with timestamps correlating to CAR file upload events; presence of web shells with obfuscated CFML code.
• Logs: ColdFusion Administrator access logs showing CAR file upload or import operations from unusual accounts or IP addresses; application logs recording file write operations to unexpected paths; Windows Event Logs showing SYSTEM-level process creation events spawned from the ColdFusion service.
• Process: Unusual child processes spawned by the ColdFusion Java process (e.g., cmd.exe, powershell.exe, net.exe) indicating post-exploitation activity (ZDI Advisory, HoyaHaxa Blog).

Adobe has released patched versions addressing this vulnerability: ColdFusion 2021 Update 23 or later, ColdFusion 2023 Update 17 or later, and ColdFusion 2025 Update 5 or later (Adobe Advisory). Organizations should prioritize upgrading to the patched versions immediately. As interim mitigations, restrict administrative access to the ColdFusion Administrator interface to trusted IP ranges only, enforce strong authentication for admin accounts, and implement network-level controls to limit exposure of the ColdFusion administration interface. Monitor CAR file upload activities and authentication logs for suspicious patterns, and consider application whitelisting to restrict code execution to known legitimate processes.

The vulnerability was covered in December 2025 Patch Tuesday roundups by Sophos and SOCRadar, which highlighted it among critical Adobe ColdFusion fixes (Sophos Blog, SOCRadar). CIS issued an advisory noting that multiple Adobe vulnerabilities patched in December 2025 could allow arbitrary code execution. Security Online Info published a write-up in January 2026 discussing how ColdFusion administrators could weaponize remote shares via this class of vulnerability (Security Online). The vulnerability appeared in the SOS Intelligence CVE Chatter Weekly Top Ten for the week of February 23, 2026, indicating sustained community interest following the ZDI advisory publication.