{"id":"CVE-2018-15961","published":"2018-09-25T13:29:01Z","modified":"2026-06-17T01:43:25Z","title":"Adobe ColdFusion Unrestricted File Upload Vulnerability","vendor":"Adobe","product":"ColdFusion","tier":"core","eol":null,"description":{"text":"Adobe ColdFusion versions July 12 release (2018.0.0.310739), Update 6 and earlier, and Update 14 and earlier have an unrestricted file upload vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"summary":{"text":"The flaw is an unrestricted file upload vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, a product from Adobe, affecting the file upload handling of the application. An attacker who can reach the ColdFusion service over the network can upload files of dangerous types without authentication or user interaction, which could lead to arbitrary code execution.","provenance":"ai","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","generatedAt":"2026-10-23T07:09:41Z"},"cvss":{"score":9.8,"severity":"CRITICAL","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"epss":{"score":0.9995,"percentile":0.99974,"date":"2026-10-30","provenance":"source"},"kev":{"dateAdded":"2021-11-03","dueDate":"2022-05-03","ransomware":false,"requiredAction":"Apply updates per vendor instructions.","notes":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-15961","provenance":"source"},"vulncheckKev":{"dateAdded":"2021-11-03","exploitedFirstSeen":"2021-11-03","ransomware":false,"evidence":[{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json","date":"2021-11-03"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-11-14&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2018-15961","date":"2023-11-14"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-11-22&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2018-15961","date":"2023-11-22"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-11-26&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2018-15961","date":"2023-11-26"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-11-27&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2018-15961","date":"2023-11-27"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-12-05&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2018-15961","date":"2023-12-05"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-12-11&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2018-15961","date":"2023-12-11"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2024-01-01&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2018-15961","date":"2024-01-01"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2024-01-04&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2018-15961","date":"2024-01-04"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2024-01-06&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2018-15961","date":"2024-01-06"}],"evidenceTotal":803,"provenance":"source"},"exploited":true,"otx":{"pulseCount":50,"pulses":[{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 29, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae20c1db17e7057ae7d9ad1","created":"2026-10-28"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 28, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae0ba7e0e2a97ff7b218819","created":"2026-10-27"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 27, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adf68b85c3e852f3c111d18","created":"2026-10-26"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 24, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adb740e397c3ad4799aa4cd","created":"2026-10-23"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 23, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ada236fcfba2dfa730ea482","created":"2026-10-22"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 22, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad8d33a077cbb5cab524d80","created":"2026-10-21"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 21, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad78130c4d1ac2be83a8b6d","created":"2026-10-20"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 20, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad62f63c24a405a3423cc13","created":"2026-10-19"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 19, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad4dda174e5797d0bd238b7","created":"2026-10-18"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 18, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad38c22e1848f8189d1c121","created":"2026-10-17"}],"provenance":"machine"},"cwes":[{"id":"CWE-434","name":"Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type"}],"references":[{"url":"http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105314","tags":["Broken Link","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041621","tags":["Broken Link","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb18-33.html","tags":["Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45979/","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105314","tags":["Broken Link","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041621","tags":["Broken Link","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb18-33.html","tags":["Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45979/","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-15961","tags":["Third Party Advisory","US Government Resource"]}],"techniques":[{"id":"T1190","name":"Exploit Public-Facing Application","tactics":["initial-access"],"provenance":"source","basis":"ctid-kev","bases":["ctid-kev","ctid-cve"],"basisDetail":"CTID Mappings Explorer KEV 07/28/2025 (ATT&CK 16.1); capability: Unrestricted File Upload; CTID attack_to_cve (Phase 1)","mappingType":"exploitation_technique","evidence":[],"comment":"This vulnerability is exploited by uploading a file to a public-facing ColdFusion server. ","confidence":"high"},{"id":"T1491.002","name":"External Defacement","tactics":["impact"],"provenance":"source","basis":"ctid-kev","bases":["ctid-kev"],"basisDetail":"CTID Mappings Explorer KEV 07/28/2025 (ATT&CK 16.1); capability: Unrestricted File Upload","mappingType":"primary_impact","evidence":[],"comment":"In the wild, this CVE was seen to result in defacement.","confidence":"high"},{"id":"T1491","name":"Defacement","tactics":["impact"],"provenance":"source","basis":"ctid-cve","bases":["ctid-cve"],"basisDetail":"CTID attack_to_cve (Phase 1)","mappingType":"uncategorized","evidence":[],"confidence":"low","confidenceNote":"CTID attack_to_cve Phase 1 \"Uncategorized\" mapping (not staged by impact)"},{"id":"T1505.003","name":"Web Shell","tactics":["persistence"],"provenance":"source","basis":"ctid-cve","bases":["ctid-cve"],"basisDetail":"CTID attack_to_cve (Phase 1)","mappingType":"uncategorized","evidence":[],"confidence":"low","confidenceNote":"CTID attack_to_cve Phase 1 \"Uncategorized\" mapping (not staged by impact)"}],"reports":[],"affected":[],"advisories":[],"euvd":{"id":"EUVD-2018-7817","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2018-7817","exploited":true,"exploitedSince":"2021-11-03","provenance":"source"},"exploits":[{"id":45979,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45979","title":"Adobe ColdFusion 2018 - Arbitrary File Upload","type":"webapps","platform":"multiple","date":"2018-12-11","verified":false,"provenance":"source"}],"exploitSources":{"exploitdb":{"count":1,"earliest":"2018-12-11"},"pocGithub":{"count":4,"skipped":1,"earliest":"2018-12-06","earliestUrl":"https://github.com/vah13/CVE-2018-15961","repos":[{"name":"vah13/CVE-2018-15961","url":"https://github.com/vah13/CVE-2018-15961","stars":9,"created":"2018-12-06"},{"name":"xbufu/CVE-2018-15961","url":"https://github.com/xbufu/CVE-2018-15961","stars":3,"created":"2021-06-30"},{"name":"orangmuda/CVE-2018-15961","url":"https://github.com/orangmuda/CVE-2018-15961","stars":2,"created":"2021-10-03"},{"name":"cved-sources/cve-2018-15961","url":"https://github.com/cved-sources/cve-2018-15961","stars":1,"created":"2019-01-21"}]},"metasploit":[{"name":"Adobe ColdFusion CKEditor unrestricted file upload","module":"exploit/multi/http/coldfusion_ckeditor_file_upload","type":"exploit","disclosureDate":"2018-09-11","url":"https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/coldfusion_ckeditor_file_upload.rb"}],"nuclei":[{"id":"CVE-2018-15961","name":"Adobe ColdFusion - Unrestricted File Upload Remote Code Execution","severity":"critical","path":"http/cves/2018/CVE-2018-15961.yaml","url":"https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2018/CVE-2018-15961.yaml"}],"first":{"date":"2018-09-11","source":"Metasploit","url":"https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/coldfusion_ckeditor_file_upload.rb"},"provenance":"source"},"exploitRefs":["https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45979/"],"flow":[{"stage":"exploitation","techniques":["T1190"],"provenance":"source"},{"stage":"primary","techniques":["T1491.002"],"provenance":"source"},{"stage":"related","techniques":["T1505.003","T1491"],"provenance":"source","lowConfidence":true}],"timeline":[{"date":"2018-09-11","kind":"exploit-public","label":"First public exploit: Metasploit; 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1 Exploit-DB entry; 4 PoC-in-GitHub repos; 1 Metasploit module; 1 nuclei template"},{"name":"Mentioned in OTX pulses","points":3.0,"detail":"50 pulses"},{"name":"CVSS severity","points":6.86,"detail":"base score 9.8"},{"name":"End-of-life product","points":0.0,"detail":"supported or unknown"}]},"lineage":{"familyId":"fam-class-adobe-coldfusion-cwe-434"}}