⚠ Reference material — not professional advice. Test in staging, back up first, verify against your specific version. Use your own judgment for your environment.
● High · CVSS 7.5 ⚠ ACTIVELY EXPLOITED — CISA KEV

How to Fix CVE-2023-38205: Access Control Bypass in ColdFusion

Other vulnerabilities in the same area that are worth patching alongside this one:

*By Sai Kiran Pandrala*

⚡ At a glance
SeverityCVSS 7.5 - High
Actively exploited?Yes, listed in CISA KEV (added 2023-07-20)
Affected0 <= cf2023U2
Fixed inSee vendor advisory
Type (CWE)CWE-284: Improper Access Control ()
Patch immediately. CISA's KEV listing means active exploitation is confirmed. Federal agencies must remediate by 2023-08-10.

What is CVE-2023-38205?

CVE-2023-38205 is an access control bypass flaw in ColdFusion. Authenticated or in some cases unauthenticated requests reach endpoints they should not be allowed to call, exposing administrative functionality or sensitive data. Vendor description: Adobe ColdFusion versions 2018u18 (and earlier), 2021u8 (and earlier) and 2023u2 (and earlier) are affected by an Improper Access Control vulnerability that could result in a Security feature bypass. An attacker could use this vulnerability to access the administration CFM and CFC endpoints.

Why this CVE matters

Access control flaws let an attacker reach endpoints the developers assumed would be reserved for administrators. The impact depends on what those endpoints expose, but for management products the answer is usually configuration changes, log access, or credential reads.

For deployments of ColdFusion that have been exposed to the public internet during the disclosure window, the operating assumption should be that scanning has already happened. Confirmed in-the-wild exploitation makes that assumption mandatory, not cautious. Patching closes the door; log review and credential rotation close out the rest of the response.

Am I affected?

You are affected if your installation matches any of these version ranges:

Check your installed version against the list above. If you cannot determine the version, treat the system as affected and follow the upgrade path below.

Check the product's About dialog for the installed version, or inspect the install directory for the version file documented in the vendor's release notes.

How to fix CVE-2023-38205

  1. Read the vendor advisory in full: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb23-47.html
  2. Upgrade ColdFusion to the patched build listed in the vendor advisory.
  3. Back up the configuration (and database, where applicable) before upgrading.
  4. Apply the patch in a maintenance window. For HA pairs, upgrade the standby node first, fail over, then upgrade the former primary.
  5. Restart the affected service so the patched binary loads, then verify the new version (see verification section).

Patch via your OS package manager


# The exact package name and patched version are listed in the vendor advisory:
# https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb23-47.html
# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade coldfusion

# RHEL / Rocky / AlmaLinux / Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade coldfusion

# openSUSE
sudo zypper update coldfusion

# Verify the running version matches the fixed version
dpkg -s coldfusion 2>/dev/null | grep -i version || rpm -q coldfusion 2>/dev/null


# Windows: pull the cumulative update that ships this fix.
Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck
Get-WindowsUpdate -AcceptAll -Install -AutoReboot

Verify the fix landed


# 1. Confirm the running version matches the fixed-in version from the advisory:
#    https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb23-47.html
#    Use the platform-specific version probe above.

# 2. Re-scan with your vulnerability scanner (Nessus, Qualys, Tenable, OpenVAS).
#    The scanner should no longer flag CVE-2023-38205 on the patched target.

# 3. Inspect recent service / kernel logs for crash loops or rollback events.
journalctl -u <service> --since "10 minutes ago"
dmesg --since "10 minutes ago"

If you cannot patch immediately

No official workaround exists beyond restricting network exposure to the affected component. Apply the vendor patch as the primary remediation.

How to verify the fix worked

If your installation was internet-reachable during the disclosure window, treat log review as part of the remediation rather than an optional follow-up. Look for log entries that do not match your normal request patterns, especially repeated requests to the same uncommon endpoint, and any administrative changes you cannot tie back to a known operator. Because ColdFusion sits on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog for this CVE, defenders should also pull the IOC list from the vendor advisory and from CISA's analysis if one was published.

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2023-38205 being exploited in the wild?

Yes. CISA added CVE-2023-38205 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means active exploitation has been confirmed by federal observation or credible vendor reporting.

Will a WAF or IDS rule fully mitigate CVE-2023-38205?

No. Network-layer filters can reduce noise and slow opportunistic scanners, but they will not stop a determined attacker. The vendor patch is the only durable fix.

How long should I plan for the upgrade?

Typical vendor-documented upgrade windows for ColdFusion run from a few minutes to under an hour depending on cluster size. Test in a staging environment first and follow the vendor's documented HA upgrade order.

References

*This guide was assembled from the official vendor advisory, the NVD record, and the CISA KEV catalog entry on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor advisory before applying changes in production.*