ProFTPD 1.3.3c backdoor

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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Current Exploit Price (≈)
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CTI Interest Score
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9.8$0-$5k0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in ProFTPD 1.3.3c. It has been classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality. This manipulation causes backdoor. This vulnerability is registered as CVE-2010-20103. Remote exploitation of the attack is possible. No exploit is available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as very critical was found in ProFTPD 1.3.3c. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown code block. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a backdoor vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-912. The product contains functionality that is not documented, not part of the specification, and not accessible through an interface or command sequence that is obvious to the product's users or administrators. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

A malicious backdoor was embedded in the official ProFTPD 1.3.3c source tarball distributed between November 28 and December 2, 2010. The backdoor implements a hidden FTP command trigger that, when invoked, causes the server to execute arbitrary shell commands with root privileges. This allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to run any OS command on the FTP server host.

It is possible to read the advisory at web.archive.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2010-20103 since 08/19/2025. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be launched remotely. The exploitation doesn't need any form of authentication. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not publicly available. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 08/20/2025). The attack technique deployed by this issue is T1588.001 according to MITRE ATT&CK.

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

Name

Version

License

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CNA CVSS-B Score: 🔒
CNA CVSS-BT Score: 🔒
CNA Vector: 🔒

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 9.8
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 9.8

VulDB Base Score: 9.8
VulDB Temp Score: 9.8
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Backdoor
CWE: CWE-912
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔒
EPSS Percentile: 🔒

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

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Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: no mitigation known
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Timelineinfo

08/19/2025 CVE reserved
08/20/2025 +1 days Advisory disclosed
08/20/2025 +0 days VulDB entry created
08/20/2025 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Advisory: web.archive.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2010-20103 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2010-20103
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-320815

Entryinfo

Created: 08/20/2025 18:16
Changes: 08/20/2025 18:16 (64)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

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