Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-49551 is a high-severity Use of Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798) vulnerability in Adobe Coldfusion. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Unsecured Credentials (T1552); ranked at the 20th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to IA-5 (Authenticator Management) and SC-12 (Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management) — 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.
CVE-2025-49551 is a Use of Hard-coded Credentials vulnerability (CWE-798) affecting Adobe ColdFusion versions 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20, and earlier. This flaw enables privilege escalation, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive systems or data. The vulnerable component is restricted to internal IP addresses, and exploitation requires no user interaction. The issue has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high severity due to its potential for significant confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.
An attacker with adjacent network access (AV:A) can exploit this vulnerability with low complexity (AC:L) and no prior privileges (PR:N). No user interaction is needed (UI:N), and the scope remains unchanged (S:U). Successful exploitation grants high-level access to sensitive systems or data, facilitating privilege escalation without authentication.
Adobe's security bulletin APSB25-69, available at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb25-69.html, details mitigation steps and patches for affected ColdFusion versions. Security practitioners should consult this advisory for specific remediation guidance.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-20707
Vulnerability Data
ColdFusion versions 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20 and earlier are affected by a Use of Hard-coded Credentials vulnerability that could result in privilege escalation. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems or data. Exploitation of this…
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issue does not require user interaction. The vulnerable component is restricted to internal IP addresses.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Authenticator management requires secure distribution and handling of credentials, structurally discouraging hard-coded values.
Cryptographic key management mandates proper establishment and handling instead of embedding keys in code.
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.
PR.AA-01's credential/key-management processes can reduce the incentive to embed secrets but do not address or detect hard-coded values in source code, so the weakness remains fully possible.
PR.AA-02 addresses human identity proofing and per-person credential issuance at enrollment; it has no bearing on whether developers embed static credentials in software.
PR.DS-01 addresses encryption and integrity of stored data but never touches credential or key management practices, so it neither prevents hard-coded credentials nor removes any of their risk.
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.
Education on secure configuration practices discourages technical staff from embedding or relying on hard-coded credentials in systems and applications.
Secure key-generation, distribution and storage procedures reduce the likelihood that hard-coded or default cryptographic keys will be introduced or left unprotected.
Explicit prohibition of hard-coded passwords and unauthenticated external services stops credentials from being embedded directly in source code.
Contractual requirements for secure coding practices and evidence of testing make it less likely that hard-coded credentials will be introduced or remain undetected in delivered code.
Requiring independent oversight and timely disabling of non-human identities makes it harder for hard-coded or long-lived credentials to remain exploitable.
Mandating immediate replacement of vendor-supplied default credentials eliminates the use of hard-coded or factory passwords that attackers can trivially obtain from documentation or firmware.