CriticalCISA KEVExploited in the wildPublic exploit

Adobe ColdFusion Deserialization RCE

IdentifiersCVE-2023-26359CWE-502· Deserialization of Untrusted Data

CVE-2023-26359 is a critical deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion affecting ColdFusion 2018 Update 15 and earlier and ColdFusion 2021 Update 5 and earlier. Adobe states the flaw can result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user and does not require user interaction. Supporting reporting associates exploitation with WDDX deserialization and observed use of a Java deserialization gadget chain, including com.sun.rowset.JdbcRowSetImpl, to trigger JNDI/LDAP callbacks during exploitation attempts. The issue is remotely reachable over the network and has been reported as exploited in the wild.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution on the ColdFusion server in the security context of the current user running the affected service. Given the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) and observed in-the-wild exploitation, this can enable full remote compromise of exposed ColdFusion instances, including theft of sensitive application data, modification of application content or configuration, deployment of webshells or follow-on payloads, and service disruption. Where the ColdFusion service runs with elevated privileges, practical impact may extend to broader host compromise.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure of public-facing ColdFusion instances, especially administrative and CFIDE-related paths, restrict network access to trusted sources, and monitor for exploitation indicators such as suspicious WDDX/JNDI/LDAP-related requests and outbound LDAP or OAST callback traffic. Threat hunting should include review for unexpected child processes, webshells, modified ColdFusion files, anomalous requests to CFM/CFC endpoints, and evidence of Interactsh or similar out-of-band callback domains. These are temporary risk-reduction measures and not substitutes for vendor patching.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Apply Adobe's security updates referenced in APSB23-25. The fixed versions identified in the provided content are ColdFusion 2018 Update 16 and ColdFusion 2021 Update 6. Upgrade any ColdFusion 2018 deployment at Update 15 or earlier and any ColdFusion 2021 deployment at Update 5 or earlier. Because exploitation has been observed in the wild, patching should be treated as urgent and followed by review of system, application, and network logs for indicators of compromise or suspicious requests targeting ColdFusion endpoints.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

AdobeColdfusionapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

8 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

8 SOURCESView more in app

secpod blogNews

Jan 6, 2026

Mass Exploitation Campaign Targeting Adobe ColdFusion Servers Detected During Christmas Holiday

A critical arbitrary code execution vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion affecting multiple versions, allowing attackers to execute code remotely.

securityaffairsNews

Jan 3, 2026

Thousands of ColdFusion exploit attempts spotted during Christmas holiday

A deserialization remote code execution vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, actively exploited in a coordinated campaign during the Christmas 2025 holiday.

securityaffairsNews

Jan 3, 2026

Thousands of ColdFusion exploit attempts spotted during Christmas holiday

A deserialization remote code execution vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, actively exploited in a coordinated campaign during the Christmas 2025 holiday.

the hacker newsNews

Jan 1, 2026

ThreatsDay Bulletin: GhostAd Drain, macOS Attacks, Proxy Botnets, Cloud Exploits, and 12+ Stories

A vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion exploited as part of a coordinated campaign for code execution, credential harvesting, and JNDI lookups.

+4 more in the timeline

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures1

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES

MITRE CVE

cve.org · CVE-2023-26359

NVD

nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-26359

MITRE CWE · CWE-502

Deserialization of Untrusted Data

Patch

helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb23-25.html

Third Party Advisory

cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-26359