CVE-2000-0538: ColdFusion Administrator for ColdFusion 4.5.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service

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MEDIUM 5.0DOWNGRADE

CVE-2000-0538 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.0) affecting coldfusion server. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

ColdFusion Administrator for ColdFusion 4.5.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long login password.

Why this priority

EPSS top 5%: very likely to be exploited
Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.0 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance	8.4% (top 5%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2000-06-07
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: allaire

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2000-06-07 04:00 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 21:51 UTCUpdated Record last modified

allaire coldfusion server DOWNGRADE

Affected: 2.0 · 3.0 · 3.01 · 3.1 · 3.11 · 3.12 · 4.0 · 4.0.1

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2.0

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy coldfusion-server || rpm -q coldfusion-server || coldfusion-server --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 2.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison coldfusion-server sudo apt install coldfusion-server=<VERSION_BEFORE_2.0> sudo apt-mark hold coldfusion-server

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list coldfusion-server sudo dnf downgrade coldfusion-server-<VERSION_BEFORE_2.0> sudo dnf versionlock add coldfusion-server

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Public exploits and detection

Public code exists for this CVE. Treat unpatched systems as at risk, and only run PoCs in a lab.

Exploit-DB: ColdFusion Server 2.0/3.x/4.x - Administrator Login Password Denial of Service

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2000-0538?

coldfusion server: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2000-0538 being exploited?

CVE-2000-0538 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2000-0538 affect?

CVE-2000-0538 affects coldfusion server. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.0). ColdFusion Administrator for ColdFusion 4.5.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long login password.

How urgent is CVE-2000-0538?

Priority 46/100. EPSS top 5%: very likely to be exploited; Public exploit reference

Software pages

Adobe ColdFusion vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

CVE-2002-0576 MEDIUM 5.0 DOWNGRADE ColdFusion 5.0 and earlier on Windows systems allows remote attackers to determine the absolute pathname of .c
CVE-2001-1120 MEDIUM 6.4 DOWNGRADE Vulnerabilities in ColdFusion 2.0 through 4.5.1 SP 2 allow remote attackers to (1) read or delete arbitrary fi
CVE-2001-0535 HIGH 7.5 DOWNGRADE Example applications (Exampleapps) in ColdFusion Server 4.x do not properly restrict prevent access from outsi
CVE-2000-0410 MEDIUM 5.0 DOWNGRADE ColdFusion Server 4.5.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by making repeated requests to a
CVE-2000-0189 MEDIUM 5.0 DOWNGRADE ColdFusion Server 4.x allows remote attackers to determine the real pathname of the server via an HTTP request

References

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