{"id":75718,"date":"2025-09-16T09:29:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T09:29:04","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-10T00:14:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T06:14:16","slug":"cve-2025-54261-critical-path-traversal-vulnerability-in-coldfusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-54261-critical-path-traversal-vulnerability-in-coldfusion\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-54261: Critical Path Traversal Vulnerability in ColdFusion<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this post, we are delving into a critical vulnerability, CVE-2025-54261, that impacts multiple versions of the ColdFusion web application development platform. This vulnerability, termed as an ‘Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory’ or ‘Path Traversal’ vulnerability, potentially allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system. It is important to address this vulnerability due to its high severity<\/a> score and the potential for system compromise or data leakage.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2025-54261
\nSeverity: Critical (9.0)
\nAttack Vector: Network
\nPrivileges Required: None
\nUser Interaction: None
\nImpact: System compromise and potential<\/a> data leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

ColdFusion | 2025.3
\nColdFusion | 2023.15
\nColdFusion | 2021.21 and earlier<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

A ‘Path Traversal’ vulnerability occurs when an application improperly restricts the user’s<\/a> ability to navigate the file directory. In the case of CVE-2025-54261, an attacker can exploit this vulnerability to make ColdFusion execute arbitrary code<\/a> in a location of their choosing. This is achieved by manipulating variables that reference file paths in the system<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

As an example, the attacker might use a malicious HTTP request similar to the following:<\/p>\n

POST \/CFIDE\/adminapi\/administrator.cfc?method=login HTTP\/1.1\nHost: target.example.com\nContent-Type: application\/x-www-form-urlencoded\ncfadminPassword=attacker&requestedfilepath=..\/..\/..\/..\/..\/etc\/passwd&newfilepath=attacker-controlled-path<\/code><\/pre>\n
In the above example, the “requestedfilepath” parameter is manipulated to move out of the intended directory (‘..\/..\/..\/’) and read the “\/etc\/passwd” file. The “newfilepath” parameter is then used to specify the location where the attacker wants to write the file<\/a>.
\nThe above is a simplified example and real-world attacks would likely be more complex and tailored to the target environment.<\/p>\n
Mitigations<\/strong><\/p>\n
Users of affected versions of ColdFusion are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available. As a temporary mitigation, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can help detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability<\/a>. However, these measures are not a substitute for applying the vendor patch and should be seen as a stopgap, rather than a long-term solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview In this post, we are delving into a critical vulnerability, CVE-2025-54261, that impacts multiple versions of the ColdFusion web application development platform. This vulnerability, termed as an ‘Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory’ or ‘Path Traversal’ vulnerability, potentially allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system. It is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[85],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-75718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-directory-traversal"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t