CVE-2010-20103
Severity CVSS v4.0:
CRITICAL
Type:
Unavailable / Other
Publication date:
20/08/2025
Last modified:
24/09/2025
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.
Impact
Base Score 4.0
9.30
Severity 4.0
CRITICAL
Base Score 3.x
9.80
Severity 3.x
CRITICAL
Vulnerable products and versions
| CPE | From | Up to |
|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:proftpd:proftpd:1.3.3:c:*:*:*:*:*:* |
To consult the complete list of CPE names with products and versions, see this page
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
- http://www.proftpd.org/
- https://advisories.checkpoint.com/defense/advisories/public/2011/cpai-2010-151.html/
- https://github.com/proftpd/proftpd
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/master/modules/exploits/unix/ftp/proftpd_133c_backdoor.rb
- https://web.archive.org/web/20111107212129/http://rsync.proftpd.org/
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/15662
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/16921
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/proftpd-backdoor-command-execution
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/master/modules/exploits/unix/ftp/proftpd_133c_backdoor.rb
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/15662
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/16921



