Adobe ColdFusion: XML External Entity (XXE) injection enables arbitrary file read
Summary
Adobe ColdFusion 2025 and 2023 are affected by an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability (CWE-611). An attacker can use crafted XML to read files on the server that are outside the intended access scope, including sensitive data. The CVSS vector requires no privileges and no user interaction, and the scope is changed (CVSS 3.1: 8.6, High).
Affected
- Adobe ColdFusion 2025: 0 through 2025.0.13
- Adobe ColdFusion 2023: 0 through 2023.0.25
Fixed in
- Adobe ColdFusion 2025: update to 2025.0.14 (Update 14)
- Adobe ColdFusion 2023: update to 2023.0.26 (Update 26)
Workaround
Unknown. No workaround is documented in the sources; apply the security update.
Exploitation
- Adobe is not aware of any exploits in the wild for the issues in this update.
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact partial.
- No public proof of concept has been identified, which does not rule one out.
Our recommendation
- Inventory all ColdFusion instances and their exact versions.
- Update affected instances to 2025.0.14 or 2023.0.26, testing first, because Update 26 upgrades Tomcat and applies an outbound network policy that may affect integrations.
- Restrict access to internet-facing ColdFusion services until they are patched.
- Review logs for unusual file access.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Adobe Security Bulletin APSB26-144 www.adobe.com
- ColdFusion 2023 Release Update 26 guides.adobe.com
- Offseq threat radar entry for CVE-2026-106616 radar.offseq.com
- Blacktree: Adobe October 2026 security fixes blacktree.nl
- CVE-2026-106616 summary (threatint) cve.threatint.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 08:20.
Original description (NVD)
ColdFusion is affected by an Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE') vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary file system read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to access sensitive files and directories outside the intended access scope. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction. Scope is changed.
NVD references (1)
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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