CVE-2025-49544: Adobe ColdFusion XXE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-49544 Overview

CVE-2025-49544 is an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability affecting Adobe ColdFusion versions 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20, and earlier releases. The flaw stems from improper restriction of XML external entity references [CWE-611] in the ColdFusion XML parser. An authenticated attacker with high privileges can craft a malicious XML document to bypass security controls and access sensitive information. Exploitation requires no user interaction and results in a scope change, meaning impact extends beyond the vulnerable component. Adobe published security bulletin APSB25-69 to address this issue across all affected ColdFusion release trains.

Critical Impact
A high-privileged, network-based attacker can leverage this XXE flaw to bypass ColdFusion security features and disclose sensitive data from resources accessible to the ColdFusion service account.

Affected Products

Adobe ColdFusion 2025 (through Update 2)
Adobe ColdFusion 2023 (through Update 14)
Adobe ColdFusion 2021 (through Update 20)

Discovery Timeline

2025-07-08 - CVE-2025-49544 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-49544

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-49544 is an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference vulnerability [CWE-611] in Adobe ColdFusion's XML processing routines. When ColdFusion parses XML input, the underlying parser fails to disable external entity resolution. Attackers can supply crafted XML containing external entity declarations that reference local files, internal network resources, or other protected assets. The parser resolves these entities during processing and returns their contents through the application response or side channels. Because the CVSS scope is changed, the disclosure can reach resources beyond the ColdFusion application boundary, including files owned by the underlying operating system user. The vulnerability affects confidentiality only; integrity and availability remain intact according to the CVSS vector.

Root Cause

The root cause is an insecure XML parser configuration that permits DOCTYPE declarations and external entity resolution. ColdFusion functions and tags that consume XML, such as those built on XmlParse(), inherit this behavior. Without explicitly disabling FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING guards and external entity resolution, the parser dereferences attacker-controlled URIs at parse time.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to a ColdFusion endpoint that processes attacker-supplied XML and valid high-privilege credentials. The attacker submits an XML payload containing an external entity referencing a file:// URI or an internal HTTP resource. The ColdFusion server resolves the entity and returns its contents, or fetches internal resources on behalf of the attacker. No user interaction is required, and the changed scope indicates cross-authority impact.

Refer to the Adobe ColdFusion Security Bulletin APSB25-69 for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49544

Indicators of Compromise

Inbound HTTP requests to ColdFusion endpoints containing <!DOCTYPE, <!ENTITY, or SYSTEM keywords within XML bodies.
Outbound connections from the ColdFusion JVM process to unexpected internal IP ranges or file:// URI resolution errors in ColdFusion logs.
Unusual reads of sensitive files (for example, /etc/passwd, neo-security.xml, neo-datasource.xml) by the ColdFusion service account.

Detection Strategies

Inspect ColdFusion application.log, exception.log, and web server access logs for XML payloads containing entity declarations submitted by authenticated administrators.
Deploy WAF signatures that flag XML request bodies containing external DTD references or SYSTEM identifiers.
Correlate authenticated ColdFusion Administrator sessions with subsequent outbound network activity from the JVM process to identify SSRF-style entity resolution.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on ColdFusion Administrator and API endpoints that accept XML input, and forward logs to a central analytics platform.
Baseline the ColdFusion service account's file access patterns and alert on reads of credential, configuration, or key material files.
Monitor for anomalous DNS lookups originating from the ColdFusion host that may indicate out-of-band XXE exfiltration.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49544

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the security updates listed in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-69 to all ColdFusion 2025, 2023, and 2021 installations.
Rotate credentials for any high-privileged ColdFusion Administrator accounts that may have been used to reach vulnerable endpoints.
Restrict network access to ColdFusion Administrator interfaces so only trusted management networks can reach them.

Patch Information

Adobe released fixed builds for ColdFusion 2025, 2023, and 2021 as part of APSB25-69. Administrators should upgrade to the latest available Update level for their release train. Adobe assigns this issue a Priority 3 rating in the bulletin, but the changed scope and high confidentiality impact warrant prompt remediation on internet-exposed hosts.

Workarounds

Enforce least privilege on ColdFusion Administrator and API roles to reduce the population of accounts that meet the high-privilege prerequisite.
Configure a reverse proxy or WAF rule to reject XML request bodies containing <!DOCTYPE or <!ENTITY declarations on ColdFusion endpoints.
Run the ColdFusion service under a dedicated low-privilege OS account with restricted filesystem and network egress permissions to limit XXE data exposure.

bash

# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) to block XML external entity payloads targeting ColdFusion
SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Content-Type "@rx (?i)(application|text)/xml" \
    "id:1004954,phase:2,deny,status:400,log,\
    msg:'Potential XXE payload targeting ColdFusion (CVE-2025-49544)',\
    chain"
    SecRule REQUEST_BODY "@rx (?i)(<!DOCTYPE|<!ENTITY|SYSTEM\s+\"(file|http|ftp)://)" \
        "t:none"