CVE-2023-44353
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on Adobe ColdFusion servers by sending maliciously crafted data that gets improperly deserialized. It affects ColdFusion 2023.5 and earlier, and 2021.11 and earlier. No user interaction is required for exploitation.
💻 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 →⚠️ 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, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Remote code execution leading to web shell installation, data exfiltration, or server takeover for cryptocurrency mining or botnet participation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation, application firewalls, and least privilege principles are implemented, though the vulnerability remains exploitable.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability requires no authentication and has a simple exploitation path, making it highly attractive to attackers.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: ColdFusion 2023.6 and 2021.12
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb23-52.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 guide. 4. Restart the ColdFusion service.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network segmentation and firewall rules
allRestrict access to ColdFusion administration and application ports to trusted IP addresses only.
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
allDeploy a WAF with rules to detect and block deserialization attacks.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate the ColdFusion server in a separate network segment with strict firewall rules
- Implement a reverse proxy with request filtering and rate limiting
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check ColdFusion version via ColdFusion Administrator interface or cfusion/lib/version.txt fileCheck Version:
On Windows: type "C:\ColdFusion\cfusion\lib\version.txt" | On Linux: cat /opt/coldfusion/cfusion/lib/version.txtVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 2023.6 or higher for 2023 branch, or 2021.12 or higher for 2021 branch📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual Java deserialization errors in application logs
- Suspicious POST requests to ColdFusion endpoints
- Unexpected process creation or file writes
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from ColdFusion server
- Traffic patterns indicating command and control communication
SIEM Query:
source="coldfusion.log" AND ("deserialization" OR "java.io" OR suspicious POST)