CVE-2025-64898: Insufficiently Protected Credentials (CWE-522) in Adobe ColdFusion
ColdFusion versions 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22 and earlier are affected by an Insufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability that could result in limited unauthorized write access. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access by exploiting improperly stored or transmitted credentials. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2025-64898 identifies a vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, a widely used web application development platform, where credentials are insufficiently protected (CWE-522). This weakness arises from improper storage or transmission of sensitive authentication data, which an attacker can exploit to gain unauthorized write access to the system. Affected versions include ColdFusion 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22, and earlier releases. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without requiring user interaction or prior authentication, increasing its risk profile. Although the CVSS score is 4.3 (medium), the impact primarily affects integrity by allowing limited unauthorized modifications, without compromising confidentiality or availability directly. The vulnerability does not currently have known exploits in the wild, and no patches have been published at the time of reporting. The root cause is linked to CWE-522, which concerns the inadequate protection of credentials, potentially exposing them to interception or unauthorized access. This can lead to attackers manipulating application data or configurations, undermining system trustworthiness. Organizations relying on ColdFusion should review their credential handling mechanisms, ensure secure transmission channels (e.g., TLS), and monitor for anomalous write operations. Given the absence of patches, compensating controls are critical to reduce exposure until updates are available.
Potential Impact
The primary impact of CVE-2025-64898 is on the integrity of affected ColdFusion systems, as attackers can gain limited unauthorized write access. This could allow modification of application data, configurations, or code, potentially leading to further exploitation or disruption of services. Although confidentiality and availability are not directly compromised, integrity violations can undermine trust in the system and lead to indirect impacts such as data corruption or unauthorized changes in business logic. The vulnerability’s remote exploitability without authentication or user interaction increases the risk of widespread attacks, especially in internet-facing ColdFusion deployments. Organizations with critical applications running on affected versions may face operational disruptions, compliance issues, and reputational damage if exploited. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests limited current threat activity, but the vulnerability remains a significant risk until patched.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Immediately review and harden credential storage and transmission practices within ColdFusion environments, ensuring encryption at rest and in transit using strong cryptographic protocols like TLS 1.2 or higher. 2. Restrict network access to ColdFusion administrative and application interfaces using firewalls, VPNs, or IP whitelisting to limit exposure to untrusted networks. 3. Implement strict access controls and monitoring on write operations to detect and respond to unauthorized changes promptly. 4. Conduct thorough audits of ColdFusion configurations and custom code to identify and remediate insecure credential handling patterns. 5. Employ application-layer security controls such as Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) to detect anomalous requests targeting credential-related endpoints. 6. Stay informed on Adobe’s security advisories for the release of official patches and apply them immediately upon availability. 7. Consider isolating ColdFusion servers in segmented network zones to minimize lateral movement risks if compromised. 8. Educate development and operations teams on secure credential management best practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom code.
Affected Countries
United States, India, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Netherlands, Brazil
CVE-2025-64898: Insufficiently Protected Credentials (CWE-522) in Adobe ColdFusion
Description
ColdFusion versions 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22 and earlier are affected by an Insufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability that could result in limited unauthorized write access. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access by exploiting improperly stored or transmitted credentials. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2025-64898 identifies a vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, a widely used web application development platform, where credentials are insufficiently protected (CWE-522). This weakness arises from improper storage or transmission of sensitive authentication data, which an attacker can exploit to gain unauthorized write access to the system. Affected versions include ColdFusion 2025.4, 2023.16, 2021.22, and earlier releases. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without requiring user interaction or prior authentication, increasing its risk profile. Although the CVSS score is 4.3 (medium), the impact primarily affects integrity by allowing limited unauthorized modifications, without compromising confidentiality or availability directly. The vulnerability does not currently have known exploits in the wild, and no patches have been published at the time of reporting. The root cause is linked to CWE-522, which concerns the inadequate protection of credentials, potentially exposing them to interception or unauthorized access. This can lead to attackers manipulating application data or configurations, undermining system trustworthiness. Organizations relying on ColdFusion should review their credential handling mechanisms, ensure secure transmission channels (e.g., TLS), and monitor for anomalous write operations. Given the absence of patches, compensating controls are critical to reduce exposure until updates are available.
Potential Impact
The primary impact of CVE-2025-64898 is on the integrity of affected ColdFusion systems, as attackers can gain limited unauthorized write access. This could allow modification of application data, configurations, or code, potentially leading to further exploitation or disruption of services. Although confidentiality and availability are not directly compromised, integrity violations can undermine trust in the system and lead to indirect impacts such as data corruption or unauthorized changes in business logic. The vulnerability’s remote exploitability without authentication or user interaction increases the risk of widespread attacks, especially in internet-facing ColdFusion deployments. Organizations with critical applications running on affected versions may face operational disruptions, compliance issues, and reputational damage if exploited. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests limited current threat activity, but the vulnerability remains a significant risk until patched.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Immediately review and harden credential storage and transmission practices within ColdFusion environments, ensuring encryption at rest and in transit using strong cryptographic protocols like TLS 1.2 or higher. 2. Restrict network access to ColdFusion administrative and application interfaces using firewalls, VPNs, or IP whitelisting to limit exposure to untrusted networks. 3. Implement strict access controls and monitoring on write operations to detect and respond to unauthorized changes promptly. 4. Conduct thorough audits of ColdFusion configurations and custom code to identify and remediate insecure credential handling patterns. 5. Employ application-layer security controls such as Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) to detect anomalous requests targeting credential-related endpoints. 6. Stay informed on Adobe’s security advisories for the release of official patches and apply them immediately upon availability. 7. Consider isolating ColdFusion servers in segmented network zones to minimize lateral movement risks if compromised. 8. Educate development and operations teams on secure credential management best practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom code.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- adobe
- Date Reserved
- 2025-11-11T22:48:38.847Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6938b6b6b56b439e93ee88a4
Added to database: 12/9/2025, 11:54:30 PM
Last enriched: 2/27/2026, 6:56:06 AM
Last updated: 3/25/2026, 4:51:27 PM
Views: 130
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