CVE-2024-20767: Adobe ColdFusion Information Disclosure

CVE-2024-20767 Overview

CVE-2024-20767 is an Improper Access Control vulnerability affecting Adobe ColdFusion that allows attackers to perform arbitrary file system reads on vulnerable systems. This vulnerability enables unauthorized access to or modification of restricted files without requiring user interaction. Exploitation requires that the ColdFusion admin panel be exposed to the internet.

Critical Impact
This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild and has been added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Attackers can leverage this flaw to access sensitive configuration files, credentials, or other restricted data from vulnerable ColdFusion servers.

Affected Products

Adobe ColdFusion 2023 (Update 6 and earlier)
Adobe ColdFusion 2021 (Update 12 and earlier)
All previous versions of Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2021 release lines

Discovery Timeline

2024-03-18 - CVE-2024-20767 published to NVD
2025-10-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-20767

Vulnerability Analysis

This Improper Access Control vulnerability (CWE-284) in Adobe ColdFusion stems from insufficient access restrictions on certain administrative endpoints. When the ColdFusion administrator panel is exposed to the internet, an unauthenticated attacker can bypass access controls to read arbitrary files from the server's file system. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited without user interaction and potentially provides access to sensitive configuration files, database credentials, or application source code.

The attack surface requires network access to the ColdFusion admin panel, typically accessible via the /CFIDE/administrator/ path. Organizations that have inadvertently or intentionally exposed their admin panels to the public internet are at immediate risk.

Root Cause

The root cause is an Improper Access Control implementation within ColdFusion's administrative interface. Certain endpoints fail to properly validate authorization before serving file content, allowing unauthenticated requests to access files outside the intended scope. This represents a fundamental flaw in the access control logic where file system operations are not adequately restricted to authenticated administrative sessions.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted over the network, targeting ColdFusion servers with internet-exposed admin panels. An attacker does not require any authentication or user privileges to exploit this vulnerability. The attack flow typically involves:

Identifying a ColdFusion server with an exposed admin panel (commonly on ports 8500 or via web server integration)
Crafting requests to vulnerable endpoints that bypass access control checks
Leveraging the improper access control to read arbitrary files from the server's file system
Extracting sensitive information such as configuration files, credentials, or application data

The vulnerability can be exploited to read sensitive files including neo-datasource.xml, password.properties, or other configuration files containing database credentials and other sensitive data.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-20767

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual access patterns to ColdFusion administrative paths (/CFIDE/administrator/, /CFIDE/adminapi/)
HTTP requests targeting ColdFusion-specific files such as neo-datasource.xml or password.properties
Web server logs showing successful responses to administrative endpoint requests from external IP addresses
Evidence of file access or data exfiltration from ColdFusion server directories

Detection Strategies

Monitor web server access logs for requests to /CFIDE/administrator/ and related paths from untrusted external IP addresses
Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious file path traversal patterns targeting ColdFusion
Enable file integrity monitoring on ColdFusion configuration directories to detect unauthorized access
Deploy network-based intrusion detection signatures for known ColdFusion exploitation patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

Configure alerting for any external access attempts to ColdFusion administrative endpoints
Implement log aggregation and correlation for ColdFusion server access events
Monitor for unusual outbound data transfers from ColdFusion servers that may indicate data exfiltration
Review and audit admin panel access logs regularly for unauthorized access attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-20767

Immediate Actions Required

Apply Adobe security updates immediately: ColdFusion 2023 Update 7 or ColdFusion 2021 Update 13
Restrict access to the ColdFusion admin panel by blocking external access via firewall rules or web server configuration
Audit server file system for any evidence of unauthorized access to sensitive files
Rotate any credentials that may have been exposed, including database passwords and API keys

Patch Information

Adobe has released security patches addressing this vulnerability in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB24-14. Organizations should upgrade to:

ColdFusion 2023: Update 7 or later
ColdFusion 2021: Update 13 or later

Due to active exploitation tracked in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, federal agencies and organizations following CISA guidelines are required to apply patches within the specified remediation timeline.

Workarounds

Block all external access to the ColdFusion admin panel at the network perimeter using firewall rules
Configure web server or reverse proxy to deny requests to /CFIDE/administrator/ and /CFIDE/adminapi/ from non-trusted IP addresses
Implement IP allowlisting for administrative interface access, limiting connections to known management networks
Consider placing ColdFusion admin interfaces behind a VPN or zero-trust network access solution

bash

# Example Apache configuration to restrict admin panel access
<LocationMatch "^/CFIDE/(administrator|adminapi)">
    Require ip 10.0.0.0/8
    Require ip 192.168.0.0/16
    Require ip 172.16.0.0/12
</LocationMatch>