How severe is CVE-2023-38203?

CVE-2023-38203 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-38203 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2023-38203 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2024-01-08, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-38203?

CVE-2023-38203 primarily affects Adobe Coldfusion. In total, 28 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-38203?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.

Does CVE-2023-38203 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2023-38203 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-42023. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2024-01-08).

When was CVE-2023-38203 published?

CVE-2023-38203 was published on 2023-07-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-38203

CVE-2023-38203 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Adobe Coldfusion with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2024-01-08). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-502.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 97% (100th percentile)
Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2024-01-08)
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2023-42023
EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2024-01-08)
Weakness: CWE-502
Affected product: Adobe Coldfusion
Published: 2023-07-20
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Adobe ColdFusion versions 2018u17 (and earlier), 2021u7 (and earlier) and 2023u1 (and earlier) are affected by a Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability that could result in Arbitrary code execution. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-38203?: Adobe ColdFusion versions 2018u17 (and earlier), 2021u7 (and earlier) and 2023u1 (and earlier) are affected by a Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability that could result in Arbitrary code execution. Exploitation of this issue does not require user interaction.
How severe is CVE-2023-38203?: CVE-2023-38203 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-38203 being actively exploited?: Yes. CVE-2023-38203 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2024-01-08, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-38203?: CVE-2023-38203 primarily affects Adobe Coldfusion. In total, 28 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-38203?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2023-38203 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2023-38203 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-42023. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2024-01-08).
When was CVE-2023-38203 published?: CVE-2023-38203 was published on 2023-07-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (28)

cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update10:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update11:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update12:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update13:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update14:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update15:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update16:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update17:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update8:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2018:update9:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2021:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2021:update1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2021:update2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2021:update3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2021:update4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2021:update5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2021:update6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2021:update7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2023:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:coldfusion:2023:update1:*:*:*:*:*:*

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