CVE-2025-49542 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Adobe ColdFusion versions 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20, and earlier. This vulnerability arises when an unauthenticated attacker crafts a malicious URL referencing a vulnerable page within ColdFusion that reflects user-supplied input without proper sanitization or encoding. When a victim accesses this URL, the malicious JavaScript executes in the context of the victim's browser, potentially allowing the attacker to steal session tokens, perform actions on behalf of the user, or manipulate the victim's interaction with the affected web application. The vulnerability is scoped to internal IP addresses, meaning it affects ColdFusion instances accessible only within internal networks or VPNs, limiting exposure to external attackers but increasing risk from insider threats or compromised internal hosts. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.2 (medium severity), reflecting that the attack vector is adjacent network (internal), requires no privileges, but does require user interaction (clicking a malicious link). The impact affects confidentiality and integrity but not availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches or mitigations have been officially released at the time of publication. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, a common and well-understood web application security flaw related to improper input validation and output encoding.

For European organizations using Adobe ColdFusion internally, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk. Since the flaw is exploitable only from internal IP addresses, external attackers cannot directly exploit it over the internet, reducing the risk of widespread exploitation. However, insider threats, compromised internal devices, or attackers who gain VPN access could exploit this vulnerability to execute malicious scripts in the browsers of internal users. This could lead to session hijacking, unauthorized actions within internal ColdFusion applications, or lateral movement within the network. Confidentiality and integrity of sensitive internal data processed by ColdFusion applications could be compromised. Organizations in sectors with high reliance on ColdFusion for internal business-critical applications—such as finance, government, healthcare, and manufacturing—may face increased risk. The vulnerability could also facilitate targeted attacks against privileged users or administrators who access ColdFusion portals internally. Given the medium severity and lack of public exploits, the immediate risk is moderate but warrants prompt attention to prevent escalation.

1. Restrict access to ColdFusion administrative and application interfaces strictly to trusted internal IP ranges and enforce network segmentation to minimize exposure. 2. Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-controllable parameters in ColdFusion applications to prevent injection of malicious scripts. 3. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers accessing ColdFusion applications. 4. Monitor internal network traffic and logs for suspicious URL requests or unusual user activity that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Educate internal users about the risks of clicking unsolicited or suspicious links, especially within internal communications. 6. Apply any forthcoming official patches from Adobe promptly once released. 7. Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block reflected XSS payloads targeting ColdFusion endpoints. 8. Regularly audit and update ColdFusion instances to supported versions and configurations minimizing attack surface.