CVE-2021-40698 | ColdFusion Use of Inherently Dangerous Function Leads To Security feature bypass

ColdFusion version 2021 update 1 (and earlier) and versions 2018.10 (and earlier) are impacted by an Use of Inherently Dangerous Function vulnerability that can lead to a security feature bypass  . An authenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to access and manipulate arbitrary data on the environment.

Published: 2023-09-07 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2021-40698 is rated Moderate Risk (44.3/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.54%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-40698

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.12% 0.54% +0.41%
2 2025-11-21 0.60% 0.12% -0.48%
3 2025-11-18 — 0.60% —

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-40698

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.4 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
 3.1 3.7 [email protected]
7.4 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
 3.1 3.7 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-40698

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-40698

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
adobe coldfusion < 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update1:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update10:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update2:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update3:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update4:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update5:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update6:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update7:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update8:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2018 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update9:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe coldfusion 2021 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2021:-:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-40698

cvelogic Threat Intelligence