Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2025-61821 is a medium-severity Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (CWE-611) vulnerability in Adobe Coldfusion. Its CVSS base score is 6.8 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 41th 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 CM-6 (Configuration Settings) and SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) — 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-2025-61821 is an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE) vulnerability, classified under CWE-611, affecting Adobe ColdFusion versions 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22, and earlier. Published on 2025-12-10, this flaw allows arbitrary file system reads, enabling attackers to access sensitive files and data on the server. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.8 (Medium), with vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating network accessibility, high attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, a change in scope, and high confidentiality impact.
Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network without user interaction. Successful exploitation grants read access to arbitrary files on the server, potentially exposing sensitive data such as configuration files, credentials, or other confidential information, while leaving integrity and availability unaffected.
Adobe's security bulletin APSB25-105, available at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb25-105.html, provides details on mitigation, including recommended patches for affected ColdFusion versions.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-202342
Vulnerability Data
ColdFusion versions 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22 and earlier are affected by an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access sensitive files and data…
more
on the server. Exploit depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction and 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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V1.5.1V15.3.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Secure configuration settings can disable external entity processing in XML parsers.
Developer testing can discover XXE flaws through targeted XML parsing tests.
Input validation can reject or sanitize XML containing external entity references.
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.
Hardened XML parser configurations directly disable external entity resolution.
Secure SDLC practices include input validation and safe XML parser configuration that prevent XXE.
Vulnerability scanning can discover XXE flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.
Patching eliminates XXE-vulnerable parser versions but is only one aspect of software maintenance.
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 XXE via static analysis and dynamic XML fuzzing.
Vulnerability management identifies and patches XML libraries with unsafe default entity settings.
Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and entity handling that directly prevents XXE.
Application security requirements explicitly call for disabling external entity processing in XML parsers.
Secure architecture principles include safe parser configuration that mitigates external entity risks.
Secure coding standards require disabling DTDs and external entities in XML processing.