CVE-2025-49543 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting multiple versions of Adobe ColdFusion, specifically versions 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20, and earlier. This vulnerability allows a high-privileged attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code into vulnerable form fields within the ColdFusion application. When a victim subsequently accesses the affected page containing the injected script, the malicious code executes in their browser context. The vulnerability is scoped to internal IP addresses, meaning exploitation is limited to users or attackers with access to the internal network segment where ColdFusion is hosted. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3 (medium severity), reflecting that the attack vector is adjacent network (internal), requires low attack complexity, high privileges, and user interaction (victim visiting the page). The impact includes limited confidentiality and integrity loss but no availability impact. Since ColdFusion is a widely used web application development platform, this vulnerability could be leveraged to perform session hijacking, credential theft, or further internal network pivoting if exploited. However, the requirement for high privileges and internal network access reduces the overall risk of widespread exploitation. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches or mitigation links are provided yet, indicating this is a newly disclosed vulnerability. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, which is a common and well-understood web security issue involving improper neutralization of input leading to script injection.

For European organizations using Adobe ColdFusion, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily in internal environments where ColdFusion servers are deployed. The ability for a high-privileged insider or an attacker who has already breached the internal network to inject malicious scripts could lead to session hijacking, unauthorized actions on behalf of users, or theft of sensitive information accessible via the web application. This could compromise the confidentiality and integrity of internal business processes and data. Given that ColdFusion is often used in enterprise environments for critical web applications, exploitation could facilitate lateral movement within networks, increasing the risk of broader compromise. However, since the vulnerability requires high privileges and internal network access, external attackers without such access are unlikely to exploit it directly. The impact on availability is negligible. European organizations with strict internal network segmentation and monitoring may reduce the risk, but those with less mature internal security controls could be more vulnerable to insider threats or lateral attacks leveraging this flaw.

1. Immediately review and restrict access to ColdFusion administrative and internal interfaces to trusted personnel and systems only, enforcing strict network segmentation to limit internal IP address exposure. 2. Implement robust input validation and output encoding on all form fields within ColdFusion applications to prevent injection of malicious scripts. 3. Monitor internal network traffic and application logs for unusual activity or attempts to inject scripts into form fields. 4. Apply the latest Adobe ColdFusion updates and patches as soon as they become available to address this vulnerability. 5. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers accessing ColdFusion applications. 6. Conduct regular security awareness training for privileged users to recognize and prevent misuse of their access. 7. Use multi-factor authentication and strong access controls for all high-privilege accounts to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 8. Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block XSS payloads targeting ColdFusion forms.