CVE-2024-20767
Adobe ColdFusion Improper Access Control Vulnerability
Description
CVE-2024-20767 is a high-severity Improper Access Control vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, a commercial web application development platform. The flaw affects ColdFusion versions 2023.6, 2021.12, and earlier, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to read arbitrary files from the server filesystem when the admin panel is exposed to the internet. With a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.4, the vulnerability requires no privileges or user interaction but does depend on certain network conditions (AC:H) related to admin panel exposure. CISA has added CVE-2024-20767 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog with a remediation deadline of January 6, 2025, and its ransomware association is classified as Unknown. The EPSS score of 94.14% at the 99.9th percentile confirms that this vulnerability is among the most actively exploited in the current threat landscape.
KEV Information
CVSS Score
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:NOpen in CalculatorAffected Products
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|---|---|
| adobe | coldfusion | 2021; 2023 |
Multiple CVSS Assessments
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
References
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb24-14.html(Vendor Advisory)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-20767(Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource)
Weakness Type
Improper Access Control in ColdFusion Admin Panel
CVE-2024-20767 is an Improper Access Control vulnerability that allows unauthorized access to restricted files and resources on the ColdFusion server. The weakness exists because certain ColdFusion endpoints fail to properly enforce authentication and authorization checks when the administrative panel is accessible from the internet. An attacker can leverage these improperly protected endpoints to bypass access controls and read files that should be restricted to authenticated administrators. Access control vulnerabilities in web application platforms are particularly dangerous because they can expose application source code, database credentials, and configuration files that facilitate further attacks. Learn more about CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Impact Analysis
The impact of CVE-2024-20767 is significant across the confidentiality and integrity dimensions. Confidentiality is fully compromised (C:H) because the vulnerability enables arbitrary file system read access on the ColdFusion server. An attacker can access application source code, database connection strings, API keys, encryption keys, and any other files stored on the server that are readable by the ColdFusion process. In enterprise environments, ColdFusion servers often contain sensitive business logic and connect to backend databases holding customer data, financial records, and intellectual property.
Integrity faces high impact (I:H) because the vulnerability can also enable modification of restricted files. An attacker who can access or modify ColdFusion application files can inject backdoors, alter business logic, or tamper with data processed by the application. The ability to read configuration files can expose credentials that enable deeper compromise of connected systems.
The attack complexity is rated as high (AC:H) because exploitation requires the ColdFusion admin panel to be exposed to the internet, which is a specific configuration condition. However, internet-exposed ColdFusion admin panels are commonly discovered through scanning tools, and the EPSS score of 94.14% at the 99.9th percentile demonstrates that attackers are actively finding and exploiting these exposed instances at an extremely high rate. While the ransomware association is currently Unknown, the file system access provided by this vulnerability is precisely the type of initial access that ransomware operators use to establish footholds in target environments.
Exploit Maturity
CVE-2024-20767 has achieved a very high level of exploit maturity with confirmed active exploitation and inclusion in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog with a remediation deadline of January 6, 2025. The EPSS score of 94.14% at the 99.9th percentile indicates that this vulnerability is being exploited more actively than virtually all other tracked vulnerabilities.
Adobe has published an official security bulletin at APSB24-14 addressing this vulnerability. CISA's KEV catalog entry mandates remediation for federal agencies. While the ransomware association remains Unknown, the extremely high exploitation rate and the nature of the vulnerability (arbitrary file read leading to credential exposure) make it a prime candidate for use in advanced attack chains. The requirement that the admin panel be internet-exposed has not prevented widespread exploitation, as attackers routinely scan for exposed ColdFusion admin panels using automated tools.
Remediation
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Apply Adobe's security update immediately. Install the patches provided in Adobe's security bulletin APSB24-14. Update ColdFusion 2023 to version 2023.7 or later, and ColdFusion 2021 to version 2021.13 or later. These updates address the improper access control vulnerability in the admin panel endpoints.
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Block internet access to the ColdFusion admin panel immediately. This is the most critical immediate mitigation. The ColdFusion administrator console should never be accessible from the public internet. Configure your web server and firewall rules to restrict access to the admin panel (typically at
/CFIDE/administrator/) to trusted internal IP addresses or VPN connections only. -
Audit for unauthorized file access. Review ColdFusion server logs and web server access logs for any requests to admin panel endpoints from external IP addresses. Look for unusual file access patterns, requests containing path traversal sequences, and any access to sensitive configuration files such as
neo-datasource.xml,password.properties, or application-specific configuration files. -
Rotate all credentials stored on the ColdFusion server. If the admin panel was exposed to the internet while running a vulnerable version, assume that database connection strings, API keys, and other credentials stored in ColdFusion configuration files have been compromised. Change all database passwords, rotate API keys, regenerate encryption keys, and update any service account credentials referenced in the ColdFusion configuration.
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Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) as defense-in-depth. Deploy WAF rules that detect and block attempts to access ColdFusion admin endpoints from untrusted sources and filter requests containing path traversal or file inclusion patterns. While this should not be the sole defense, it provides an additional layer of protection against exploitation attempts.
Technical Details
CVE-2024-20767 carries a CVSS v3.1 vector of CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N, resulting in a high base score of 7.4. The vector shows a network-accessible vulnerability (AV:N) with high attack complexity (AC:H), requiring no privileges (PR:N) and no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), with high confidentiality (C:H) and integrity (I:H) impacts but no availability impact (A:N).
The high attack complexity (AC:H) reflects the prerequisite that the ColdFusion admin panel must be exposed to the internet for exploitation to succeed. This is not a universal configuration but is common enough that the vulnerability has achieved a 99.9th percentile EPSS score. The vulnerability lies in specific endpoints associated with the ColdFusion administrative interface that fail to properly validate whether the requesting user has authenticated and is authorized to access the requested resources.
When the admin panel is internet-accessible, an attacker can craft HTTP requests to these improperly protected endpoints to read files from the server filesystem. The file read capability is bounded only by the filesystem permissions of the ColdFusion application process, which typically runs with sufficient privileges to access application files, configuration data, and potentially system files. The high integrity impact (I:H) indicates that the vulnerability may also allow modification of certain restricted resources through the same access control bypass. Affected versions include Adobe ColdFusion 2023 (version 2023.6 and earlier) and ColdFusion 2021 (version 2021.12 and earlier).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2024-20767?
CVE-2024-20767 is a high-severity Improper Access Control vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion that allows an unauthenticated attacker to read arbitrary files from the server when the admin panel is exposed to the internet. It affects ColdFusion 2023.6, 2021.12, and earlier versions with a CVSS score of 7.4.
Does CVE-2024-20767 affect all ColdFusion installations?
The vulnerability exists in all ColdFusion 2023 (version 2023.6 and earlier) and ColdFusion 2021 (version 2021.12 and earlier) installations. However, exploitation specifically requires the ColdFusion admin panel to be accessible from the internet. Installations where the admin panel is properly restricted to internal networks face significantly reduced risk, though patching is still strongly recommended.
How can I check if my ColdFusion admin panel is internet-exposed?
Attempt to access your ColdFusion server's admin panel URL (typically https://your-server/CFIDE/administrator/) from an external network or use an internet scanning service. If the admin login page is reachable from outside your internal network, your server is at risk and you should immediately restrict access while applying the patch.
Is CVE-2024-20767 associated with ransomware?
CISA currently classifies the ransomware association as Unknown, meaning there is no confirmed link to ransomware campaigns at this time. However, the vulnerability's ability to expose server files including credentials and configuration data makes it a valuable initial access vector that could facilitate ransomware deployment in subsequent attack stages.
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