Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Adobe ColdFusion instances in the listed versions can mishandle access control checks under the CFIDE path. A logged-in attacker could use that weakness to reach or change data they should not control. The issue is high severity because it is network-accessible, low complexity, and can affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Executive priority
Treat this as a priority patch-management issue for internet-facing or broadly accessible ColdFusion systems. It enables authenticated privilege escalation against application data, but the provided sources do not support emergency language about known active exploitation.
Technical view
CVE-2021-40699 is a CWE-284 improper access control flaw in ColdFusion 2021 Update 1 and earlier, and 2018 Update 10 and earlier. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.4, with low attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and changed scope.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to organizations running affected Adobe ColdFusion versions with CFIDE reachable to authenticated users. The provided sources do not identify specific configurations beyond the affected version ranges and CFIDE path.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerability requires authentication, but the attack vector is network-based and no user interaction is required.
Researcher notes
Focus validation on version, authentication boundary, and CFIDE reachability. Evidence is limited to the CVE data and Adobe advisory reference; do not assume unauthenticated exploitation, public exploit availability, or specific fixed builds unless confirmed from Adobe APSB21-75.
Mitigation direction
- Identify ColdFusion 2021 Update 1 or earlier and 2018 Update 10 or earlier systems.
- Review Adobe APSB21-75 for the branch-specific update or mitigation guidance.
- Prioritize CFIDE-accessible systems where many users can authenticate.
- Reduce unnecessary CFIDE exposure while vendor guidance is being applied.
Validation and detection
- Inventory ColdFusion versions and compare them with the affected ranges.
- Confirm whether CFIDE is reachable on each ColdFusion deployment.
- Review access logs for unusual authenticated CFIDE activity.
- Verify remediation status against Adobe APSB21-75 after changes.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-284: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-40699 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L3.13.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.4HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb21-75.htmlCVE reference · vendor-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Access Control
Improper Access Control represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.