CVE-2025-49551 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting multiple versions of Adobe ColdFusion, specifically versions 2025.2, 2023.14, 2021.20, and earlier. The vulnerability is classified as a Use of Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798), which means that the software contains embedded credentials that are hard-coded into the application code or configuration. These credentials can be discovered and exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access. In this case, exploitation could lead to privilege escalation, allowing an attacker to elevate their access rights within the affected system. The vulnerability does not require any user interaction to be exploited, increasing the risk of automated or remote attacks. However, the vulnerable component is restricted to internal IP addresses, which somewhat limits the attack surface to internal networks or trusted zones. The CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 reflects the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and no privileges or user interaction required. The vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive systems or data, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, or disruption of services. No known exploits in the wild have been reported yet, and no official patches have been linked at the time of this report, indicating that organizations should prioritize mitigation and monitoring efforts. Given the critical role ColdFusion plays in web application deployment and enterprise environments, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to organizations relying on affected versions.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-49551 could be substantial. Adobe ColdFusion is widely used in enterprise web applications, government portals, and internal business systems across Europe. Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive personal data protected under GDPR, intellectual property, and critical business information. Privilege escalation could enable attackers to move laterally within networks, compromise additional systems, or disrupt services, potentially causing operational downtime and reputational damage. The internal network restriction reduces exposure to external attackers but increases the risk from insider threats or attackers who have already breached perimeter defenses. This is particularly concerning for sectors with high-value targets such as finance, healthcare, public administration, and critical infrastructure. Additionally, the lack of available patches at present means organizations must rely on compensating controls, increasing the urgency for proactive detection and mitigation. Failure to address this vulnerability could result in regulatory penalties under European data protection laws if a breach occurs.

1. Immediate network segmentation and strict access controls should be implemented to limit access to internal IP ranges where the vulnerable ColdFusion components reside. 2. Conduct an inventory of all Adobe ColdFusion instances and verify versions to identify affected systems. 3. Apply any forthcoming official patches from Adobe as soon as they are released. 4. In the absence of patches, change or remove any hard-coded credentials if possible by reviewing configuration files and application code. 5. Employ network monitoring and intrusion detection systems to identify unusual access patterns or privilege escalation attempts within internal networks. 6. Enforce strong internal authentication and authorization policies to reduce the risk of lateral movement after initial compromise. 7. Regularly audit and review ColdFusion logs for suspicious activities. 8. Consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block exploitation attempts targeting ColdFusion. 9. Educate internal IT and security teams about the vulnerability and ensure incident response plans include scenarios involving ColdFusion compromise. 10. Limit the exposure of ColdFusion administrative interfaces and services to only trusted and necessary internal hosts.