Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessAuthenticate as delegated Host Administrator
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ExploitSubmit file path with traversal sequences
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ExecutionServer resolves path outside authorized scope
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ImpactRead or modify other hosts' files
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Path canonicalization, traversal prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Discovery, Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires a valid, authenticated delegated Host Administrator account in WS_FTP Server - a scoped sub-administrator role, not an ordinary file-transfer user and not anonymous access. The attacker must already possess this privileged role (PR:H) and the target must run an affected Windows build: WS_FTP Server prior to 2024.0.7 (2024 branch) or prior to 2025.0.4 (2025 branch). Limiting factors: no unauthenticated path, no exploitation by standard end users, and systems already patched to 2024.0.7 or 2025.0.4 are not affected; the specific syntax/feature used to trigger the traversal is not described in the available sources. |
| Impact | This is a genuine high-priority issue but narrower than the 9.1 score suggests in isolation. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity authorization-boundary escape whose defining constraint is PR:H - exploitation requires an already-authenticated delegated Host Administrator, not an anonymous attacker. The scope change (S:C) is the key multiplier: a sub-administrator confined to one host can reach files outside their authorized scope, i.e. a privilege/tenant-boundary violation within a multi-tenant WS_FTP deployment. The vuln.today Decision label is act_now and the vendor (Progress) reported it with a patch available, so remediation should not be deferred. However, signals conflict on breadth: no EPSS score was provided (cannot quantify exploitation probability), the vulnerability is NOT in CISA KEV, and no public exploit was supplied - so there is no evidence of active or widespread exploitation, and the high CVSS is driven by impact and scope rather than by ease of unauthenticated access. Net: real priority for any org that delegates WS_FTP host administration to semi-trusted operators, but the PR:H precondition meaningfully limits mass, opportunistic exploitation compared with prior unauthenticated WS_FTP flaws. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who holds (or has compromised) a delegated Host Administrator account in WS_FTP Server submits file operations containing path-traversal sequences, causing the server to resolve paths outside that administrator's authorized host scope and read or modify files belonging to other hosts/tenants. No public proof-of-concept was provided; the low attack complexity (AC:L) means that once the privileged role is held, triggering the flaw is straightforward, but the privileged-role requirement bounds who can attempt it. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 29, 2026
Path traversal in Progress Software WS_FTP Server on Windows allows an authenticated delegated Host Administrator to read or modify files outside the scope assigned to that role. Affected builds are the 2024 branch before 2024.0.7 and the 2025 branch before 2025.0.4; the vendor has released fixes for both. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, and the flaw requires a privileged sub-administrator account rather than anonymous or ordinary file-transfer access.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor update: WS_FTP Server 2024.0.7 for systems on the 2024 branch and 2025.0.4 for systems on the 2025 branch. A vendor patch is available; see the Progress advisory at https://progress.lightning.force.com/lightning/r/Knowledge__kav/ka7Pb000001vl86IAA/view. No workaround is documented in the provided references, so upgrading is the complete fix identified in the available data. Because the prerequisite is a valid delegated Host Administrator account, systems with that scoped role assigned should be prioritized for the update.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The issue is CWE-22 path traversal in WS_FTP Server, identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:progress_software:ws_ftp_server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* on Windows. The root cause class is failure to constrain a constructed pathname to the intended directory, so a delegated Host Administrator can cause file operations to resolve outside their authorized scope; the assessment records changed scope (S:C) with high confidentiality and integrity impact and no availability impact. The assessed CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N, reflecting a network-reachable flaw that requires a valid, authenticated delegated Host Administrator account. The specific request syntax or server feature used to trigger the traversal is not described in the available sources.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-reachable FTP service (AV:N, AC:L) but requires a delegated Host Administrator so PR:H; crossing the authorization boundary to other hosts is S:C; description states access or modify files (C:H/I:H), with no stated availability impact (A:N).
Primary rating from Vendor (ProgressSoftware).
CVSS VectorVendor: ProgressSoftware
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
A path traversal vulnerability in Progress Software WS_FTP Server versions prior to 2024.0.7 and 2025.0.4 on Windows could allow a delegated Host Administrator to access or modify files outside their authorized scope.
Executive ViewAI
CVE-2026-90864 is a critical path traversal flaw in Progress WS_FTP Server that allows a delegated Host Administrator-a privileged sub-administrator role-to access files beyond their assigned scope, potentially enabling data theft or configuration tampering. While exploitation requires an authenticated account and no public exploit exists, the high privilege level and critical severity mean a compromised or malicious insider could escalate access and disrupt file-transfer operations. Leadership should prioritize patching to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data and maintain trust in the managed file transfer platform.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
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