CVE-2026-75748 Overview
CVE-2026-75748 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion that enables privilege escalation. An authenticated attacker holding high privileges can abuse the flaw to reach internal resources that should remain inaccessible. Exploitation requires no user interaction and the attack vector is network-based. The scope is changed, meaning successful exploitation impacts resources beyond ColdFusion's own security boundary. Adobe addressed the issue in Security Bulletin APSB26-144.
Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker can coerce ColdFusion into issuing attacker-controlled server-side requests, pivoting into internal systems and escalating privileges across security boundaries.
Affected Products
- Adobe ColdFusion (versions listed in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB26-144)
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-10-13 - CVE-2026-75748 published to NVD
- 2026-10-14 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-75748
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-918, Server-Side Request Forgery. ColdFusion accepts input that influences the destination of outbound HTTP requests without sufficient validation of the target host or protocol. An attacker with high privileges on the ColdFusion application can direct the server to issue requests to internal endpoints, cloud metadata services, or administrative interfaces that are otherwise unreachable.
Because the CVSS scope is changed, exploitation affects components outside ColdFusion's own trust boundary. The result is privilege escalation: the attacker gains access to resources protected only by network location or by trust relationships with the ColdFusion host. Confidentiality impact is high and integrity impact is low, consistent with reading sensitive internal data and modifying limited resources through forged requests.
Root Cause
The root cause is insufficient validation of user-supplied URLs or request parameters that control outbound HTTP operations within ColdFusion. The application does not restrict request targets to an allow-list of safe destinations, nor does it block requests to internal IP ranges, loopback addresses, or cloud metadata endpoints. Adobe has not published implementation-level details beyond the advisory in APSB26-144.
Attack Vector
An attacker authenticated with high privileges submits a crafted request that causes ColdFusion to initiate an outbound connection to an attacker-chosen URL. The target can be an internal management service, a database interface, or a cloud instance metadata endpoint. Responses or side effects of these requests expose information or trigger privileged actions on behalf of the ColdFusion server. No user interaction is required and the attack is delivered over the network.
See the Adobe Security Bulletin APSB26-144 for vendor technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-75748
Indicators of Compromise
- Outbound HTTP requests from the ColdFusion process to internal IP ranges, loopback addresses, or cloud metadata endpoints such as 169.254.169.254.
- ColdFusion request logs showing user-supplied URLs or hostnames passed to request-making tags such as cfhttp or cffeed.
- Unexpected authentication events on internal services sourced from the ColdFusion host IP address.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect ColdFusion application logs and web server logs for parameters containing full URLs, IP literals, or protocol handlers like file://, gopher://, or dict://.
- Correlate outbound network connections from the ColdFusion JVM with internal service access logs to identify forged request patterns.
- Monitor privileged ColdFusion accounts for anomalous API calls that precede unexpected outbound traffic.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Baseline normal outbound destinations for ColdFusion servers and alert on deviations, especially traffic to RFC 1918 ranges or metadata services.
- Enable verbose logging on ColdFusion administrative endpoints and forward logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation.
- Track usage of high-privilege ColdFusion accounts and flag session activity that triggers outbound server-side requests.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-75748
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the ColdFusion update referenced in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB26-144 to all affected instances.
- Audit and reduce the number of accounts holding high ColdFusion privileges, which are a precondition for exploitation.
- Review recent administrative activity and outbound traffic from ColdFusion hosts for signs of SSRF abuse.
Patch Information
Adobe released patches for the affected ColdFusion versions in Security Bulletin APSB26-144. Administrators should consult the bulletin for the exact fixed version matrix and apply updates according to Adobe's deployment guidance. No workaround substitutes for the official patch.
Workarounds
- Place ColdFusion servers behind an egress proxy that enforces an allow-list of permitted external destinations and blocks RFC 1918 and metadata ranges.
- Disable or restrict ColdFusion tags and functions that initiate outbound HTTP requests when not required by the application.
- Enforce network segmentation so that compromise of a ColdFusion host does not grant reachability to sensitive internal services or cloud metadata endpoints.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
