CVE-2020-9672 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Adobe ColdFusion 2016 (update 15 and earlier) and ColdFusion 2018 (update 9 and earlier). The vulnerability is a DLL search-order hijacking issue (CWE-426), where an attacker can exploit the way ColdFusion loads dynamic link libraries (DLLs). Specifically, the application does not securely specify the full path when loading DLLs, allowing an attacker to place a malicious DLL in a location that is searched before the legitimate DLL. When ColdFusion loads this malicious DLL, it can lead to privilege escalation, enabling the attacker to execute code with elevated privileges on the affected system. The CVSS v3.1 score is 7.8 (high), with attack vector local (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:R), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although exploitation requires local access and user interaction, the impact of a successful attack is severe, potentially allowing full system compromise. There are no known exploits in the wild reported, and no official patch links are provided in the data, but Adobe typically issues updates to address such vulnerabilities. The vulnerability was published in July 2020 and is recognized by CISA as enriched data, indicating its significance in cybersecurity advisories.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk, especially for those using Adobe ColdFusion 2016 or 2018 in their web application infrastructure. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to escalate privileges on critical servers, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of services, or further lateral movement within the network. Given that ColdFusion is often used in enterprise web applications, exploitation could compromise business-critical applications, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The requirement for local access and user interaction somewhat limits remote exploitation, but insider threats or attackers who have already gained limited access could leverage this vulnerability to gain full control. This risk is particularly relevant for sectors with high-value data such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure within Europe. Additionally, the lack of known exploits in the wild does not eliminate the risk, as attackers may develop exploits targeting unpatched systems.

European organizations should prioritize updating Adobe ColdFusion to the latest available versions beyond update 15 for 2016 and update 9 for 2018, as Adobe regularly releases security patches addressing such vulnerabilities. In the absence of immediate patches, organizations should implement strict application whitelisting and restrict write permissions on directories where DLLs are loaded to prevent unauthorized DLL placement. Employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious DLL loading behaviors can help detect exploitation attempts. Additionally, limiting user privileges and enforcing the principle of least privilege reduces the risk of privilege escalation. Network segmentation should be used to isolate ColdFusion servers from less trusted networks and users. Regularly auditing installed software versions and configurations will help identify vulnerable systems. Finally, user training to recognize and avoid actions that could trigger the vulnerability (since user interaction is required) can reduce exploitation likelihood.