Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2024-53961 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Adobe Coldfusion. Its CVSS base score is 8.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 4% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
ColdFusion versions 2023.11, 2021.17 and earlier contain a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) that permits arbitrary file system reads outside an application-restricted directory. The flaw is rated 8.1 under CVSS 3.1 with network attack vector, high complexity, and no required privileges or user interaction, resulting in high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
An unauthenticated attacker who can reach an exposed ColdFusion admin panel can traverse paths to read sensitive files or alter system data. Exploitation is explicitly conditioned on the administrative interface being accessible from the internet.
The referenced Adobe advisory APSB24-107 at helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb24-107.html addresses remediation steps and available patches for the affected ColdFusion releases. The associated EPSS score has remained low and essentially flat since disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-52216
Vulnerability Data
ColdFusion versions 2023.11, 2021.17 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access files or…
more
directories that are outside of the restricted directory set by the application. This could lead to the disclosure of sensitive information or the manipulation of system data. Exploitation of this issue requires the admin panel be exposed to the internet.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.3.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces the intended directory access authorizations that path traversal would otherwise bypass.
Input validation directly neutralizes special path elements before pathname construction occurs.
Least privilege reduces the impact of any unauthorized file access obtained via traversal.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.
PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.
Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.
Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.
Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.
Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.