CVE-2026-48285 Overview
CVE-2026-48285 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability affecting Adobe ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20, and earlier. The flaw allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to bypass security controls and gain unauthorized read access to resources reachable by the ColdFusion server. Exploitation requires no user interaction, and the CVSS scope is changed, meaning impact extends beyond the vulnerable component. The weakness is categorized under CWE-918.
Critical Impact
An unauthenticated network attacker can coerce ColdFusion into issuing arbitrary server-side requests, bypassing security controls to read data from internal systems and cloud metadata services.
Affected Products
- Adobe ColdFusion 2025 (Update 9 and earlier)
- Adobe ColdFusion 2023 (Update 20 and earlier)
- All ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 update branches listed in the Adobe advisory
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-06-30 - CVE-2026-48285 published to NVD
- 2026-06-30 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-48285
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-48285 is a Server-Side Request Forgery weakness in Adobe ColdFusion's request handling. ColdFusion accepts a user-controlled URL or resource identifier and issues an outbound request without adequately validating the destination. Because the scope is changed, the resulting request executes with the trust boundary of the ColdFusion server, allowing access to resources that are not directly exposed to the attacker.
The advisory characterizes the impact as a security feature bypass leading to unauthorized read access. An attacker leverages the server's network position to reach internal-only endpoints, cloud instance metadata services, or administrative interfaces reachable via localhost or private IP ranges. The vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction.
Root Cause
The root cause is insufficient validation of the destination URL used by a ColdFusion function or tag that performs server-side HTTP fetches. The parser fails to enforce an allow-list of schemes and hosts, and does not block requests to loopback, link-local, or private address ranges. Attackers can also use DNS rebinding or URL parser inconsistencies to defeat weak blocklist checks.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network against any ColdFusion endpoint that accepts an attacker-influenced URL parameter. The attacker submits a crafted request pointing the server at an internal target such as http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/ on AWS, an internal admin console, or a database HTTP interface. ColdFusion returns the fetched content to the attacker, disclosing tokens, configuration data, or intranet resources.
No verified public proof-of-concept exploit is available at the time of publication. Refer to the Adobe Security Advisory APSB26-68 for vendor details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-48285
Indicators of Compromise
- Outbound HTTP requests from the ColdFusion application server to loopback (127.0.0.1), link-local (169.254.0.0/16), or RFC1918 private address ranges that do not match normal application behavior.
- ColdFusion access logs containing user-supplied URL parameters targeting cloud metadata endpoints such as 169.254.169.254 or metadata.google.internal.
- Unexpected DNS resolution requests from the ColdFusion host to external attacker-controlled domains that resolve to internal IP addresses (indicative of DNS rebinding).
- Anomalous read operations against internal administrative interfaces originating from the ColdFusion service account.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web server and application logs for query parameters containing full URLs, file://, gopher://, or IP-literal targets sent to ColdFusion endpoints.
- Correlate inbound HTTP requests to ColdFusion with immediately subsequent outbound requests from the host to internal or metadata addresses.
- Deploy egress filtering telemetry and alert on any ColdFusion process initiating connections to cloud metadata IPs.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose logging on the ColdFusion HTTP client and forward logs to a centralized SIEM for retention and correlation.
- Baseline normal outbound destinations for ColdFusion hosts and alert on deviations.
- Monitor Adobe security bulletins and the APSB26-68 advisory for updated indicators.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-48285
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the security updates referenced in Adobe Security Advisory APSB26-68 to all ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 installations.
- Inventory all ColdFusion instances, including development and staging, and confirm patch level against the advisory.
- Restrict outbound network access from ColdFusion servers using host firewalls or security groups, blocking traffic to cloud metadata endpoints and internal management ranges.
- Rotate credentials, API keys, and instance role tokens that could have been exposed through metadata endpoints if compromise is suspected.
Patch Information
Adobe has released fixed builds for ColdFusion 2025 and ColdFusion 2023 that address the SSRF flaw. Administrators must upgrade beyond 2025.9 and 2023.20. Consult the vendor advisory for exact build numbers and installation instructions before deploying updates to production.
Workarounds
- If patching cannot be performed immediately, place ColdFusion behind a reverse proxy or web application firewall that inspects and blocks requests containing internal IP literals and metadata hostnames.
- Enforce IMDSv2 on AWS instances hosting ColdFusion to require session tokens for metadata access, reducing SSRF impact.
- Configure the host firewall to deny outbound traffic from the ColdFusion service account to 169.254.169.254, 127.0.0.0/8, and unnecessary internal subnets.
- Disable or remove any ColdFusion features that accept user-supplied URLs when they are not required by the application.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
