CVE-2026-48386: Adobe ColdFusion Cryptographic Flaw

CVE-2026-48386 Overview

CVE-2026-48386 affects Adobe ColdFusion versions 2023 and 2025, including all released update revisions. The vulnerability stems from the use of a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm [CWE-327] that can expose sensitive memory contents to a remote attacker. An unauthenticated attacker can send crafted network requests to disclose sensitive information from server memory. Exploitation does not require user interaction, which raises the risk profile for internet-facing ColdFusion deployments. Adobe published fixes in security bulletin APSB26-90.

Critical Impact
Remote, unauthenticated attackers can disclose sensitive memory contents from vulnerable Adobe ColdFusion servers, potentially exposing session data, credentials, or cryptographic material.

Affected Products

Adobe ColdFusion 2023 (base release through Update 22)
Adobe ColdFusion 2025 (base release through Update 11)
All intermediate update revisions between the base and latest updates listed above

Discovery Timeline

2026-08-11 - CVE-2026-48386 published to NVD
2026-08-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-48386

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-48386 is a cryptographic weakness in Adobe ColdFusion that leads to sensitive memory disclosure. The flaw is classified under [CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm]. Because the cryptographic primitive used by ColdFusion does not provide adequate confidentiality guarantees, portions of process memory can leak to a remote client. Attackers can invoke the vulnerable functionality over the network without authentication or user interaction, according to the CVSS vector. Repeated invocation may allow an attacker to progressively harvest sensitive material from the running ColdFusion process.

Root Cause

The underlying issue is ColdFusion's reliance on a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm in a code path that returns data to remote callers. When that algorithm is exercised, the response can contain uninitialized or adjacent memory rather than only the intended plaintext or ciphertext. This class of weakness typically arises from legacy cipher choices, weak padding schemes, or misuse of cryptographic APIs that do not zero buffers before reuse.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against a listening ColdFusion service. The attacker sends requests that trigger the vulnerable cryptographic operation and parses responses for leaked memory content. No credentials and no user interaction are required. Adobe's advisory (APSB26-90) does not disclose the specific endpoint or protocol handler; refer to the Adobe ColdFusion Security Advisory for authoritative technical details.

No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently available for CVE-2026-48386, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-48386

Indicators of Compromise

Repeated or high-volume requests to ColdFusion administrative or cryptographic endpoints from a single external source
Anomalous outbound response sizes from ColdFusion services relative to normal traffic baselines
Unexplained exposure of session tokens, API keys, or internal identifiers observed in downstream systems

Detection Strategies

Inventory all Adobe ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 instances and cross-reference installed update levels against the fixed builds in APSB26-90
Deploy web application firewall (WAF) signatures that flag repeated requests to ColdFusion cryptographic or session-handling endpoints
Correlate ColdFusion access logs with network flow data to identify probing patterns consistent with memory-scraping behavior

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on ColdFusion HTTP request handlers and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform
Alert on unauthenticated requests that return unexpectedly large response bodies from ColdFusion endpoints
Monitor egress traffic from ColdFusion hosts for volumetric anomalies that could indicate iterative memory extraction

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-48386

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the ColdFusion security updates referenced in Adobe bulletin APSB26-90 to all ColdFusion 2023 and 2025 installations
Restrict network exposure of ColdFusion administrative and cryptographic endpoints to trusted management networks
Rotate any secrets, session tokens, or cryptographic keys handled by potentially exposed ColdFusion servers

Patch Information

Adobe released fixes for CVE-2026-48386 in security bulletin APSB26-90. Administrators should install the latest cumulative update for ColdFusion 2023 and ColdFusion 2025 as documented in the Adobe ColdFusion Security Advisory. Verify the update level after patching, since intermediate updates remain vulnerable.

Workarounds

Place ColdFusion servers behind a reverse proxy or WAF that filters unauthenticated access to cryptographic endpoints
Enforce network segmentation so ColdFusion instances are not directly reachable from the public internet
Apply the ColdFusion Lockdown Guide recommendations to reduce attack surface until patches are deployed

bash

# Configuration example
# Restrict ColdFusion administrative access at the reverse proxy (nginx example)
location ~* ^/(CFIDE/administrator|CFIDE/adminapi) {
    allow 10.0.0.0/8;
    deny all;
    proxy_pass http://coldfusion_backend;
}