Critical

Adobe ColdFusion Deserialization of Untrusted Data RCE

IdentifiersCVE-2023-38204CWE-502· Deserialization of Untrusted Data

CVE-2023-38204 is a critical deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion affecting ColdFusion 2018 Update 18 and earlier, 2021 Update 8 and earlier, and 2023 Update 2 and earlier. Adobe states that the flaw can result in arbitrary code execution and does not require user interaction. Supporting reporting on subsequent exploitation activity indicates attackers targeted this issue as part of broader ColdFusion campaigns using crafted requests that abused WDDX deserialization and JNDI/LDAP callback mechanisms to verify or achieve remote code execution. The vulnerability is remotely reachable over the network on exposed ColdFusion instances and is pre-authentication according to the provided context.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected ColdFusion server. Given the CVSS 3.1 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H and the product role, compromise can result in full application-server takeover, theft or manipulation of application data, deployment of webshells or follow-on payloads, abuse of administrative functionality, and disruption of hosted ColdFusion applications.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure by restricting public access to ColdFusion instances and especially administrative and CFIDE-related paths, limiting access to trusted networks, and monitoring for exploitation indicators associated with ColdFusion deserialization/JNDI activity. The provided context specifically recommends locking down admin/CFIDE paths, monitoring for OAST/JNDI indicators such as unexpected LDAP callbacks or Interactsh-style domains, and threat hunting for suspicious access patterns or webshell deployment. These are temporary risk-reduction measures and not substitutes for vendor patches.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Apply Adobe’s security updates that remediate CVE-2023-38204 by upgrading to ColdFusion 2018 Update 19, ColdFusion 2021 Update 9, or ColdFusion 2023 Update 3 or later, as applicable. Adobe also recommends updating the ColdFusion JDK/JRE LTS to the latest supported update release; the provided context explicitly notes that applying the ColdFusion update without the corresponding JDK update will not fully secure the server. Review and apply Adobe security hardening guidance and relevant ColdFusion Lockdown guidance after patching.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

AdobeColdfusionapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

7 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

7 SOURCESView more in app

secpod blogNews

Jan 6, 2026

Mass Exploitation Campaign Targeting Adobe ColdFusion Servers Detected During Christmas Holiday

A remote code execution vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, enabling attackers to gain control of affected systems.

securityaffairsNews

Jan 3, 2026

Thousands of ColdFusion exploit attempts spotted during Christmas holiday

A remote code execution vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, exploited in a coordinated campaign.

securityaffairsNews

Jan 3, 2026

Thousands of ColdFusion exploit attempts spotted during Christmas holiday

A remote code execution vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, exploited in a coordinated campaign.

the hacker newsNews

Jan 1, 2026

ThreatsDay Bulletin: GhostAd Drain, macOS Attacks, Proxy Botnets, Cloud Exploits, and 12+ Stories

A vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion exploited as part of a coordinated campaign for code execution, credential harvesting, and JNDI lookups.

+3 more in the timeline

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.

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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES

MITRE CVE

cve.org · CVE-2023-38204

NVD

nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38204

MITRE CWE · CWE-502

Deserialization of Untrusted Data

Vendor Advisory

helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb23-47.html