CVE-2014-5468Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Remote code execution via thumbnail file inclusion

Published Feb 7, 2020 · Updated Aug 6, 2024

Remote file inclusion in Railo 4.2.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through a crafted thumbnail.cfm request. The thumbnail.cfm handler fetches the img URL as a PNG, while traversal through img.cfm reaches the cached file and interprets appended CFML instead of treating it solely as image data. The request needs no account, but NVD records required victim interaction; successful exploitation runs commands with the Railo server process's privileges.

CVSS severity8.8
High
EPSS probability52.56%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Remote file inclusion in Railo 4.2.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through a crafted thumbnail.cfm request. The thumbnail.cfm handler fetches the img URL as a PNG, while traversal through img.cfm reaches the cached file and interprets appended CFML instead of treating it solely as image data. The request needs no account, but NVD records required victim interaction; successful exploitation runs commands with the Railo server process's privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2014-5468
Published
Feb 7, 2020
Updated
Aug 6, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-20, T1190
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 7, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 6, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

8.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.8NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-20Improper Input Validation
T1190Exploit Public-Facing Application

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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