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Announcing ColdFusion updates released Nov 14 2023: security update

Just a heads-up for my readers that there was an important security update released today by Adobe for ColdFusion 2023 (update 6) and 2021 (update 12). (Users of previous CF versions should note that those are no longer updated, not even for security fixes).

If you apply the update using the CF Admin and then find that CF starts but the Admin and your code fail, I cover that also, in the second section below.

For more, read on.

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Solving failure in applying Oct 2023 CF updates, or avoiding that failure

If you try to apply ColdFusion updates (including the latest released Oct 6) via the CF admin or command line and find that the update fails, the problem may be due to the JVM you're using (within CF or at the command line). There's a simple solution, which I discuss in this post.

TLDR; If you've configured either CF2021's java home to use Java 11.0.20 or later, or CF2023's java home to use 17.0.8 or later, you may find that applying CF updates ia the Admin will fail. You can apply the update via the command line, adding a needed new jvm arg:
-Djdk.util.zip.disableZip64ExtraFieldValidation=true
(to be placed BEFORE the -jar arg) in the java -jar ... command, as I discuss more in the 5th bullet point below. (If I've lost you with that simple suggested, read the rest here. And all may benefit reading what precedes that suggestion, for context. I also offer other suggestions and info.)

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Announcing ColdFusion updates released Aug 17 2023: resources and thoughts

Adobe has released today an important security update for each of ColdFusion 2023 (update 4) and 2021 (update 10). (Since CF2018 is end of life since July, there is no update for that version.) Note that while the technotes for the updates don't mention/link to any Adobe product security bulletin (APSB), this update is indeed an update that provides important security protections, as I discuss further below.

For more resources as well as some additional thoughts on the updates (including what security matter it entails as well as some lessons learned in applying the update--especially if you may update your Java to the JVM released last month), read on.

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My meta resource page about updating CF, the Java underlying it, the wsconfig, and more

With all the recent updates to CF (and the ongoing need to keep up and related things up-to-date), I wanted to share some news: I've long had on my site a meta resource page regarding keeping ColdFusion updated, where I offered both links and tips related to updating CF as well as the JVM underlying CF, the web server connector(wsconfig), the CF PMT, FusionReactor, CF Builder (old Eclipse and new VSCode versions) and even Lucee.

It's been on my site as my "CFUpdate" page (linked to from my old-school top-level nav bar), and I've kept the page updated. [Hey, updating my meta resource on updates. That's SO meta!]

But I suspect a lot of people may never find it for one reason or another, so I wanted to offer a link to it here.

Check it out, and I welcome comments or feedback here.

Beware you can't install CF updates via the CF Admin after Jul 2023 JVM update

Be aware: if you update ColdFusion to run using the latest JVM updates (released July 18, 2023), you will encounter challenges, which have solutions as I describe here.

You will find that you can no longer INSTALL CF updates via the CF admin, if CF is using this new Java version. And even if the CF update is run from the command line, if using this newer Java version that also will fail. In either case, there is a new JVM argument that solved the problem, as I discuss below.

This is happening in CF2023, 2021, and 2018. (And this may continue to happen with future JVM updates, until Adobe otherwise addresses the problem.)

As an update, you may want to read a more recent post I did on this matter, in October 2023.

As an another update, when I first created this post originally on July 21st, another problem was that you would find that you could no longer use the CF Administrator to download CF updates, if CF was running this new Java version. You would get an error reporting, "Failed Signature verification"--or in some cases you may see only "error failed". But within a couple of weeks, I found that the CF Admin COULD now download updates (including the August 2023 CF update) but the CF update STILL fails to install correctly, as discussed in this post, unless the workaround offered is used.

FWIW, Adobe has also updated the technotes for CF2021 update 10 and CF2023 update 4 with a text box at the top that acknowledges this issue and points to this post for more detail.

In this post, I explain a) what this is all about, then b) how you can fix the problem of INSTALLING the update using the CF Admin, I'll explain how it seems we HAVE to workaround that problem (for now). I also offer a link to a bug report I've filed. I even offer a thought on how this new JVM update may prove over time to affect MORE than just this, and even MORE than just CF (and Lucee) but many java apps. Read on for more.

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Announcing ColdFusion update released Jul 19 2023: a third Priority 1 security update

Just days after two P1 CF security updates were released on Jul 11 and 14, Adobe has released yet another on Jul 19, for CF2023 update 3, CF2021 update 9, and CF2018 update 19.

Yes, this is shocking. Yes, unless there's a good explanation, I can understand how many would feel "someone on the CF team should be flogged". Don't shoot me: I'm just the messenger. I don't work for Adobe.

But I will add that in this post, besides just sharing news about the update (and more than JUST pointing to the update), I also offer an ADDITIONAL "fix" some will want to consider, to go BEYOND what this update addresses. See the discussion on "blocking the _cfclient query string".

Read on for more, where I cover:

  • Finding more info on this update
  • A suggestion on blocking the _cfclient query string
  • News for those doing manual offline installs: this update DOES have a zip
  • As for doing a Java update along with this update
  • CF2018 WAS indeed also updated

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Announcing CF update released Jul 14 2023: a second priority 1 security update in one week

Just days after a P1 security update released on Jul 11, Adobe has released yet another on Jul 14 (CF2023 update 2, CF2021 update 8, and CF2018 update 18). (I don't recall such a short gap between updates before, so yes: it's unusual.)

For more on the update, and some additional thoughts, read on.

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Announcing ColdFusion update released Jul 11 2023: Priority 1 security update

Folks using CF2023, 2021, or 2018 will want to know that a Priority 1 security update has been released today affecting all 3 releases, update 1 for CF2023 (its first), update 7 for CF2021, and update 17 for CF2018 (its last). The security bulletin indicates that the updates "resolve critical and important vulnerabilities that could lead to arbitrary code execution and security feature bypass".

Update: 3 days after this update, Adobe released yet another, and then 4 days after that they released yet another, both p1 security updates. While I have posts on each of the two subsequent updates, the one on Jul 14 and then the one on Jul 19, the information below is still important and has details that I do not repeat in the later post.

For more resources as well as some additional thoughts on the updates, read on.

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Announcing ColdFusion emergency update released March 14 2023: what to do about it

If you've not heard, a new update has been released (March 14, 2023) for ColdFusion 2021 and 2018. Despite what you may hear, this is an URGENT (rated "Priority 1" by Adobe) update that everyone should apply ASAP, for reasons I will explain in this post. In fact, Hackernews reported yesterday (Mar 16) that the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) had issued an urgent warning about this, giving federal agencies a deadline to apply the update.

TLDR; For some folks, the above may be all you need to hear: you may be dropping your coffee and donuts now to get the update applied. Still others will see this "huge post" and think, "crap, I don't have time for this". For you, skip to the bottom and its "concluding key points". You can then decide what you think you do or don't "need to know" and pick and choose from the sections as you like.

Finally, for those who prefer because of the importance of all this to be led more carefully through understanding things (in a way that's worked for the many people I have helped so far this week, and is far more than either Adobe or Hackernews has shared), please do read on.

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Be aware that ColdFusion 2018 end-of-life (and end of updates) is coming July 2023

Are you still running ColdFusion 2018? Did you know that its end-of-life is July 13, 2023? That's the date that "core" support ends--meaning, no more updates from Adobe after that, not even security fixes.

As for CF2021, it gets updates into 2025, and the currently running pre-release of CF2023 is a great sign for the continued vitality of CF. But this looming deadline for CF2018 is a reminder that as the years roll on, we not only get new versions but we must say good-bye to old ones.

Wondering what you can do? or when CF2021 or CF2023 support will end also? And what's the difference between "core" and "extended" support Adobe sells? (The extended support plan does NOT provide updates beyond this coming July.) For more on these, including official Adobe documentation that discusses such things, as well as my thoughts on migration, costs, various options to consider, and more, do read on.

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