CVE-2025-43562: Adobe ColdFusion RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-43562 Overview

CVE-2025-43562 is a critical OS Command Injection vulnerability affecting Adobe ColdFusion versions 2025.1, 2023.13, 2021.19 and earlier. This vulnerability allows a high-privileged attacker to bypass security mechanisms and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user through improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands. The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without requiring user interaction, and the scope is changed, meaning the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component itself.

Critical Impact

This OS Command Injection vulnerability enables attackers with high privileges to execute arbitrary code on affected ColdFusion servers, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the network.

Affected Products

• Adobe ColdFusion 2025 (including update 1 and earlier)
• Adobe ColdFusion 2023 (including update 13 and earlier)
• Adobe ColdFusion 2021 (including update 19 and earlier)

Discovery Timeline

• May 13, 2025 - CVE-2025-43562 published to NVD
• May 19, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-43562

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'). The flaw exists in how Adobe ColdFusion processes user-controlled input that is subsequently passed to operating system command execution functions. When specially crafted input containing OS command metacharacters is not properly sanitized, an attacker can inject and execute arbitrary system commands.

The changed scope indicator means that while the vulnerability exists in ColdFusion, successful exploitation can impact resources beyond the ColdFusion application itself, potentially affecting the underlying operating system, network services, or other applications running on the same server.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from insufficient input validation and improper neutralization of special characters before passing user-controlled data to system shell commands. ColdFusion fails to adequately sanitize or escape OS command delimiters and metacharacters (such as ;, |, &, $(), and backticks) in certain input contexts, allowing command injection attacks.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network, requiring high privileges but no user interaction. An authenticated attacker with administrative or elevated access to the ColdFusion server can craft malicious requests containing embedded OS commands. These commands are then executed by the server's operating system with the same privileges as the ColdFusion service process.

The attack flow typically involves:

1. An attacker authenticates to the ColdFusion server with high-privilege credentials
2. The attacker identifies an input field or parameter that is processed by vulnerable command execution logic
3. The attacker injects OS command metacharacters along with malicious commands into the input
4. ColdFusion processes the input without proper sanitization and passes it to the OS shell
5. The injected commands execute with the privileges of the ColdFusion service account

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43562

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual process spawning from ColdFusion service processes (e.g., cmd.exe, powershell.exe, /bin/sh, /bin/bash)
• Unexpected network connections initiated by ColdFusion processes to external IP addresses
• Suspicious command-line arguments in process execution logs containing shell metacharacters
• Anomalous file system modifications in web-accessible directories or system paths

Detection Strategies

• Monitor ColdFusion access logs for requests containing common OS command injection patterns such as semicolons, pipe characters, or command substitution syntax
• Deploy endpoint detection rules to alert on child process creation from ColdFusion service processes (e.g., coldfusion.exe or Java processes running ColdFusion)
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block requests containing known command injection payloads
• Enable verbose logging in ColdFusion Administrator to capture detailed request parameters

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure SIEM correlation rules to detect patterns of administrative authentication followed by unusual command execution activity
• Establish baseline behavior for ColdFusion server processes and alert on deviations in network connections, file access, or resource usage
• Review ColdFusion server logs regularly for failed exploitation attempts that may indicate reconnaissance activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43562

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the security update from Adobe as referenced in security bulletin APSB25-52 immediately
• Restrict administrative access to ColdFusion servers to trusted IP addresses only using firewall rules
• Audit administrative user accounts and remove unnecessary high-privilege access
• Implement network segmentation to limit potential lateral movement if exploitation occurs

Patch Information

Adobe has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Administrators should update to the following versions or later:

• ColdFusion 2025: Update 2 or later
• ColdFusion 2023: Update 14 or later
• ColdFusion 2021: Update 20 or later

Refer to the Adobe ColdFusion Security Advisory APSB25-52 for complete patch details and download instructions.

Workarounds

• Implement strict input validation at the application layer for all user-controlled inputs processed by ColdFusion
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with rules configured to block OS command injection attempts
• Run ColdFusion services under a least-privilege account to minimize the impact of successful exploitation
• Consider temporarily disabling or restricting access to vulnerable functionality until patches can be applied

# Example: Restrict ColdFusion Administrator access by IP using iptables
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8500 -s 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8500 -j DROP