CVE-2025-61809: 
Adobe ColdFusion vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-61809 is an Improper Input Validation vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion that enables unauthenticated attackers to bypass security measures and gain unauthorized read and write access to affected systems. It affects ColdFusion versions 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22 and all earlier releases across the 2021, 2023, and 2025 product lines. The vulnerability was disclosed by Adobe on December 9, 2025, with NVD publication on December 10, 2025. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (Critical), assigned by Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Advisory).

The vulnerability is classified as CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and resides in Adobe ColdFusion's input handling logic, where insufficient validation of attacker-supplied data allows security controls to be circumvented (Adobe Advisory). The attack vector is network-based, requires no authentication, no user interaction, and no special privileges, making it exploitable remotely by any unauthenticated attacker who can reach the ColdFusion service. The flaw results in a security feature bypass that grants unauthorized read and write access, with scope remaining unchanged. No public proof-of-concept or detailed technical write-up has been identified at this time (Feedly).

Successful exploitation allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to bypass ColdFusion's security mechanisms and gain unauthorized read and write access to the affected server, resulting in high confidentiality and high integrity impact with no availability impact. Sensitive data stored or accessible by the ColdFusion application — including configuration files, credentials, and application data — may be exposed or tampered with. The ability to write to the server could facilitate further compromise, such as deploying web shells or modifying application logic to enable persistent access or lateral movement within the environment (Adobe Advisory).

As of the time of disclosure, there is no public proof-of-concept exploit and no confirmed evidence of in-the-wild exploitation (Feedly). The vulnerability has an EPSS score of approximately 0.0077 (0.77%), indicating a currently low but non-negligible probability of exploitation in the near term. The CVE is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Detection coverage has been added by Qualys (detection IDs 386192, 530736) and Tenable Nessus (plugin 278173), and FortiGuard IPS signatures have been updated to cover this vulnerability (Feedly).

Adobe has released patched versions addressing this vulnerability: ColdFusion 2025 Update 5 (or later), ColdFusion 2023 Update 17 (or later), and ColdFusion 2021 Update 23 (or later). Organizations should upgrade to the latest available update immediately, as no configuration-based workaround is documented. Additional hardening steps recommended by Adobe include applying the ColdFusion lockdown guide, implementing network segmentation to restrict access to ColdFusion administrative interfaces, enforcing robust access controls, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts (Adobe Advisory).

The vulnerability was covered as part of Adobe's December 2025 Patch Tuesday release, which addressed multiple critical issues across Adobe products. Sophos noted the December 2025 Patch Tuesday as a significant release, and SOCRadar included CVE-2025-61809 in its December 2025 Patch Tuesday analysis. CIS Security issued an advisory noting that multiple vulnerabilities in Adobe products could allow for arbitrary code execution, highlighting the broader risk of the December release cycle (Sophos Blog, SOCRadar, CIS Advisory).