CVE-2010-20103

ProFTPD 1.3.3c Backdoor Command Execution

Published: Aug 20, 2025Updated: Jul 15, 2026 Sources: CVE List NVDCWE-912

9.8CRITICAL

Description

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.

No summary for this CVE yet.

CVSS Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

AV:NAttack Vector

Network

AC:LAttack Complexity

Low

PR:NPrivileges Required

None

UI:NUser Interaction

None

Scope

S:UScope

Unchanged

Impact

C:HConfidentiality

High

I:HIntegrity

High

A:HAvailability

High

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Weaknesses

CWE-912

Affected Products

proftpd

oss-projectaka proftpd-dfsg

proftpdOn-prem

Networking Infrastructure / network-management

ProFTPD Project

oss-projectaka proftpd, proftpd (professional ftp daemon)

ProFTPD (Professional FTP Daemon)On-prem

Networking Infrastructure / network-management

Exploitability

3 exploit sources identified

Exploit details including PoC links, Metasploit modules, and scanner templates are available after registration.

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References

http://www.proftpd.org/

proftpd.org

https://advisories.checkpoint.com/defense/advisories/public/2011/cpai-2010-151.html/

advisories.checkpoint.com

https://github.com/proftpd/proftpd

github.com

and 5 more references View all →

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