CVE-2023-29300

Adobe ColdFusion Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability

Verified by Precogs Threat Research
Last Updated: Jan 8, 2024
Base Score
9.8CRITICAL

Executive Summary

CVE-2023-29300 is a critical severity vulnerability affecting appsec. It is classified as an undisclosed flaw. This vulnerability is actively being exploited in the wild.

Precogs AI Insight

"This exposure is a direct consequence of within Adobe ColdFusion, allowing insufficient sanitization protocols during data parsing. When targeted, an adversary might use this to escalate their own privileges to administrative levels without proper credentials. Precogs AI Analysis Engine leverages inter-procedural taint tracking to safeguard the application against payload injection."

Exploit Probability (EPSS)
High (93.7%)
Public POC
Available
Exploit Probability
High (84%)
Public POC
Actively Exploited
Affected Assets
appsecNVD Database

What is this vulnerability?

CVE-2023-29300 is categorized as a critical Application Verification Flaw flaw. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.

Adobe ColdFusion contains a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability that allows for code execution..

This architectural defect enables adversaries to bypass intended security controls, directly manipulating the application's execution state or data layer. Immediate strategic intervention is required.

Risk Assessment

MetricValue
CVSS Base Score9.8 (CRITICAL)
Vector StringCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
PublishedJanuary 8, 2024
Last ModifiedJanuary 8, 2024
Related CWEsN/A

Impact on Systems

Unauthorized Access: Flaws in application logic can permit unauthorized interaction with protected APIs.

Data Manipulation: Adversaries may alter critical application states, such as user roles or configurations.

Service Disruption: Improper error handling or unvalidated inputs can lead to resource exhaustion.

How to fix this issue?

Implement the following strategic mitigations immediately to eliminate the attack surface.

1. Defense in Depth Implement multi-layered validation (client-side, API gateway, and server-side).

2. Least Privilege Ensure backend service accounts operate with the absolute minimum rights required.

3. Security Regression Testing Integrate automated semantic security scanning into the deployment pipeline.

Vulnerability Signature

// Generic Application Security Flaw (Node.js)
app.post('/api/update-profile', (req, res) =\> \{
    // DANGEROUS: Mass Assignment / Object Injection
    // Attacker can pass \{ "isAdmin": true, "email": "..." \}
    User.update(\{ id: req.user.id \}, req.body);
    
    // SECURED: Explicitly select permitted fields
    const \{ email, displayName, bio \} = req.body;
    User.update(\{ id: req.user.id \}, \{ email, displayName, bio \});
\});

References and Sources

Vulnerability Code Signature

Attack Data Flow

StageDetail
SourceUntrusted User Input
VectorInput flows through the application logic without sanitization
SinkExecution or Rendering Sink
ImpactApplication compromise, Logic Bypass, Data Exfiltration

Vulnerable Code Pattern

# ❌ VULNERABLE: Unsanitized Input Flow
def process_request(request):
    user_input = request.GET.get('data')
    # Taint sink: processing untrusted data
    execute_logic(user_input)
    return {"status": "success"}

Secure Code Pattern

# ✅ SECURE: Input Validation & Sanitization
def process_request(request):
    user_input = request.GET.get('data')
    
    # Sanitized boundary check
    if not is_valid_format(user_input):
        raise ValueError("Invalid input format")
        
    sanitized_data = sanitize(user_input)
    execute_logic(sanitized_data)
    return {"status": "success"}

How Precogs Detects This

Precogs AI Analysis Engine maps untrusted input directly to execution sinks to catch complex application security vulnerabilities.\n

Is your system affected?

Precogs AI detects CVE-2023-29300 in compiled binaries, LLMs, and application layers — even without source code access.