Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-54261 is a critical-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Adobe Coldfusion. Its CVSS base score is 10.0 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 3% 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 2025.3, 2023.15, 2021.21 and earlier contain a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) that can result in arbitrary code execution. The flaw stems from improper limitation of pathnames to restricted directories and is reachable when certain optional configurations are enabled; the CVSS 3.1 score of 10.0 reflects network attack vector, low complexity, no required privileges or user interaction, and changed scope with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
An unauthenticated attacker can send crafted requests over the network to traverse directories and execute arbitrary code on the affected server, achieving full control of the application and potentially the underlying host. The victim environment must have the optional configurations active for successful exploitation.
Adobe has published advisory APSB25-93 at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb25-93.html detailing the affected releases and available remediation steps. The associated EPSS score remains flat at 0.0519 with no material increase observed since disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-27375
Vulnerability Data
ColdFusion versions 2025.3, 2023.15, 2021.21 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution by an attacker. The victim must have optional configurations enabled.…
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Scope is changed.
- 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.