Overview
The CVE-2025-49538 vulnerability is a critical XML Injection flaw that affects earlier versions of ColdFusion, including 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20 and others. This issue enables attackers to read arbitrary files from the system, possibly leading to data leakage or full system compromise. Given the severity and the high CVSS score, immediate attention and action are required from all using the affected ColdFusion versions.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-49538
Severity: High, CVSS Score – 7.4
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise, data leakage, and potential denial of service
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
ColdFusion | 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20, and earlier versions
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability exists due to improper sanitization of user-supplied input in the affected application. By injecting malicious XML or XPath queries, an attacker can manipulate the application into reading unauthorized files from the server. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, denial of service, or even full system compromise.
Conceptual Example Code
The following conceptual example demonstrates how the vulnerability might be exploited:
POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/xml
<xml>
<query><![CDATA[ ' or '1'='1' or ' ]]></query>
</xml>In this example, the attacker uses a classic ‘OR’ injection in the XML data to manipulate the application’s logic. If improperly sanitized, this request could allow the attacker to read unauthorized files from the server. The actual malicious payload may vary depending on the specific application’s logic and the attacker’s intent.
Mitigation Guidance
Users of affected versions are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available. In the meantime, the use of Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation by detecting and blocking suspicious XML or XPath queries.