CVE-2020-3794
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a file inclusion vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion that allows attackers to include arbitrary files from the webroot directory. Successful exploitation could lead to remote code execution on affected systems. The vulnerability affects ColdFusion 2016 and 2018 installations.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe ColdFusion
📦 What is this software?
Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →Coldfusion by Adobe
Adobe ColdFusion is a commercial rapid web application development platform and server providing a Java-based runtime environment for building dynamic websites, web applications, REST APIs, and enterprise integrations. Deployed across government agencies, financial services, healthcare organizations...
Learn more about Coldfusion →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining complete control over the ColdFusion server, potentially leading to data theft, lateral movement, and persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Arbitrary code execution within the webroot context, allowing attackers to deface websites, steal sensitive data, or use the server as a foothold for further attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation, web application firewalls, and file system permissions preventing successful exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires no authentication and has been publicly demonstrated. The vulnerability is relatively easy to exploit.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: ColdFusion 2016 Update 15 and ColdFusion 2018 Update 10
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb20-16.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the appropriate update from Adobe's website. 2. Backup your ColdFusion installation. 3. Apply the update following Adobe's installation instructions. 4. Restart the ColdFusion service.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Access Restriction
allRestrict access to ColdFusion administration and web interfaces to trusted IP addresses only.
Web Application Firewall
allImplement a WAF with rules to block file inclusion attempts and suspicious requests.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation and firewall rules to limit access to ColdFusion servers
- Deploy intrusion detection/prevention systems to monitor for exploitation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check ColdFusion version via the administrator interface or by examining the cfusion/lib/version.properties fileCheck Version:
On Windows: type "C:\ColdFusion\cfusion\lib\version.properties" | findstr "version" On Linux: cat /opt/coldfusion/cfusion/lib/version.properties | grep versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the patched versions: ColdFusion 2016 Update 15 or ColdFusion 2018 Update 10📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file inclusion requests in ColdFusion logs
- Requests to ColdFusion endpoints with suspicious file paths
- Multiple failed inclusion attempts
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing file path traversal patterns
- Requests to ColdFusion administrative endpoints from untrusted sources
SIEM Query:
source="coldfusion.log" AND ("file inclusion" OR "path traversal" OR suspicious file extensions like .cfm, .jsp, .exe in request parameters)