CVE-2023-29298 - Adobe ColdFusion Improper Access Control Vulnerability in Multiple Versions Lead to Security Feature Bypass

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Overview

A recently discovered vulnerability, CVE-2023-29298, has been found to affect Adobe ColdFusion versions 2018 update 16 (and earlier), 2021 update 6 (and earlier), and 2023...330468 (and earlier). This vulnerability is due to an Improper Access Control issue, which allows an attacker to bypass a security feature and gain unauthorized access to the administration CFM and CFC endpoints. This post intends to provide a comprehensive overview of the exploit, including a code snippet, relevant links, and pertinent details about this vulnerability.

Exploit Details

Adobe ColdFusion's vulnerability, CVE-2023-29298, stems from an Improper Access Control issue. This issue allows an attacker to exploit the security feature bypass and access the administration CFM and CFC endpoints.

The vulnerability does not require user interaction, which makes it particularly dangerous, as the attacker does not need to trick the victim into performing any actions to exploit the system successfully.

Here is a code snippet that demonstrates the vulnerability

<!--- Vulnerable CFM Endpoint --->
<cfif not isUserLoggedIn()>
	<cflocation url="login.cfm" addtoken="true">
<cfelseif not isUserAdmin()>
	<cflocation url="sorry_not_allowed.cfm" addtoken="true">
</cfif>

<!--- Improper Access Control --->
<cfset get_sensitive_data = new MyApp.SensitiveData()>

<!--- Expose Sensitive Data --->
<cfoutput>
	#GetUserDetails()#<br/>
	#GetImportantInformation()#
</cfoutput>

In this example, the Adobe ColdFusion application makes checks to see if the user is logged in and if the user is an administrator. If not, they are properly redirected to the appropriate pages. However, due to the Improper Access Control vulnerability, the attacker can craft a request that bypasses these checks and gain access to the CFM and CFC endpoints without any validation.

References

- Adobe ColdFusion Security Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb21-29.html
- CVE-2023-29298 Details: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-29298
- NIST Vulnerability Database: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-29298

Conclusion and Mitigation

Given the severity of CVE-2023-29298, it is essential to ensure that any systems running the affected Adobe ColdFusion versions are updated promptly. Adobe has already released patches to address this vulnerability. You can find patch information for each affected version at the following links:

- Adobe ColdFusion 2018 update 17: https://helpx.adobe.com/coldfusion/kb/coldfusion-2018-update-17.html
- Adobe ColdFusion 2021 update 7: https://helpx.adobe.com/coldfusion/kb/coldfusion-2021-update-7.html

To further mitigate risks associated with this vulnerability, it is also crucial to implement proper access control mechanisms within your applications and carry out regular vulnerability scanning and patching of your systems.

Timeline

Published on: 07/12/2023 16:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 07/19/2023 17:55:00 UTC