HighCISA KEVExploited in the wildPublic exploit

Adobe ColdFusion Access Control Bypass

IdentifiersCVE-2023-29298CWE-284· Improper Access Control

CVE-2023-29298 is an improper access control vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion affecting 2018 Update 16 and earlier, 2021 Update 6 and earlier, and 2023.0.0.330468 and earlier. The flaw allows a security feature bypass that exposes protected ColdFusion administration CFM and CFC endpoints. Available reporting indicates the issue is tied to improper URL path validation; attackers can manipulate request paths, including by inserting an additional forward slash, to reach administrator-related endpoints that should be restricted, such as CFIDE administrator and related admin API paths. This can be used to bypass intended access restrictions without requiring user interaction.

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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 allows unauthorized access to ColdFusion administration endpoints and bypasses security controls protecting those resources. This can expose sensitive administrative functionality and information, enable brute-force or credential-based access attempts against the ColdFusion Administrator, and create conditions for follow-on exploitation of additional vulnerabilities in exposed CFM/CFC files. Multiple sources note that CVE-2023-29298 can be chained with CVE-2023-26360 to broaden attacker control, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or unauthorized file access via the second vulnerability.

Mitigation

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

If immediate patching is not possible, restrict or block external access to ColdFusion Administrator-related endpoints, especially CFIDE and other administration CFM/CFC paths; limit access by network ACLs, reverse proxy rules, or VPN-only exposure; monitor for suspicious requests containing malformed or doubled-slash path variants targeting administrator endpoints; and hunt for signs of unauthorized access to admin interfaces. The content also recommends close monitoring for intrusion and prioritizing rapid application of security updates.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Apply Adobe's security updates. The provided content states Adobe released fixes in July 2023 and urged customers to upgrade to ColdFusion 2018 Update 17, ColdFusion 2021 Update 7, and the fixed ColdFusion 2023 GA build. Because subsequent reporting indicates the original fix may have been incomplete and that CVE-2023-38205 was later issued as a patch bypass for CVE-2023-29298, organizations should ensure they are on the latest supported ColdFusion security update beyond those initial releases, following current Adobe guidance.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No valid public exploits. Mallory filtered out 1 candidate as fakes, detection scripts, or README-only repos.

VALID 0 / 1 TOTALView more in app

All candidate exploits were filtered out by Mallory's validation.

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

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

12 SOURCESView more in app

splunk researchNews

Feb 25, 2026

Detection: Adobe ColdFusion Access Control Bypass | Splunk Security Content

An Adobe ColdFusion access control bypass vulnerability affecting ColdFusion administrator-related endpoints, significant because it can enable unauthorized access and facilitate further exploitation.

splunk researchNews

Feb 25, 2026

Detection: Adobe ColdFusion Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read | Splunk Security Content

An Adobe ColdFusion vulnerability referenced as part of an associated analytic story on arbitrary code execution, but not described in detail in the content.

secpod blogNews

Jan 6, 2026

Mass Exploitation Campaign Targeting Adobe ColdFusion Servers Detected During Christmas Holiday

An access control bypass vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, potentially allowing attackers to access restricted resources.

securityaffairsNews

Jan 3, 2026

Thousands of ColdFusion exploit attempts spotted during Christmas holiday

An access control bypass vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, targeted in a large-scale exploitation campaign.

+7 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 signatures2

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 activity1

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

EXTERNAL REFERENCES

MITRE CVE

cve.org · CVE-2023-29298

NVD

nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-29298

MITRE CWE · CWE-284

Improper Access Control

Vendor Advisory

helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb23-40.html

Third Party Advisory

cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-29298