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Proftpd EUVDEUVD-2026-45396

| CVE-2026-53994 HIGH
Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122)
2026-07-18 VulnCheck
7.7
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv2 – Jul 18, 2026

Authenticated remote denial of service in ProFTPD's mod_sftp module allows any user with valid SFTP credentials to crash the per-connection server child with a single malformed packet. The flaw stems from an unsigned integer underflow and a size_t-to-int truncation that fools the allocator into returning a ~512-byte block while the caller believes it received ~4 GB, causing an attacker-controlled heap overflow past a 544-byte allocation. Publicly available exploit code exists (a VulnCheck proof of concept) demonstrating reliable DoS; heap metadata corruption and consequences beyond DoS are theorized but not demonstrated, and there is no public exploit identified for code execution.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
v1 Jul 18, 2026 - 20:01 CVSS 7.5

Authenticated denial of service in ProFTPD's mod_sftp module lets any user with valid SFTP credentials crash their per-connection session child on demand by sending a single malformed SFTP packet with a declared length of zero. The bug is a heap buffer overflow caused by an unsigned integer underflow (~4 GB) that is then truncated to a 32-bit int in the allocator, so a ~512-byte block is returned while ~4 GB of attacker-controlled bytes are streamed into it. A proof of concept demonstrating the DoS exists (VulnCheck); heap metadata corruption and impact beyond DoS are theorized but not demonstrated. No public evidence of active exploitation.

Affected VersionsENISA

ProFTPD 0 <1.3.10

Affected Packages

euvd proftpd fix: 1.3.10

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.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 7.7 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 6.5 MEDIUM

Reliable single-packet crash gives AC:L and A:H; authenticated SFTP account required so PR:L; only DoS is demonstrated so C:N/I:N.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
CVSS changed
Jul 18, 2026 - 20:22 NVD
7.5 (HIGH) 7.7 (HIGH)
CVE Published
Jul 18, 2026 - 19:30 cve.org
HIGH 7.5

DescriptionCVE.org

ProFTPD mod_sftp contains a heap-based buffer overflow reachable by an authenticated SFTP user. The fxp_packet_read() function accepts the attacker-supplied 32-bit big-endian SFTP packet length without a minimum sanity check. A value of 0 causes an unsigned subtraction elsewhere in the read path to underflow to approximately 4 GB. That oversized request reaches the core memory allocator, where the rounded size is computed in size_t but passed to new_block() as a 32-bit int; the low 32 bits of 0x100000000 are 0, so new_block() returns a small (~512-byte) block while the caller is told it received ~4 GB. The subsequent fill loop then streams attacker-controlled bytes past the end of the 544-byte allocation, producing an attacker-controlled heap buffer overflow. An authenticated user can crash the per-connection ProFTPD session child on demand with a single malformed SFTP packet (packet_len=0 followed by a body greater than approximately 544 bytes), producing reliable authenticated remote denial of service. Depending on heap layout and adjacent allocations, heap metadata corruption and further consequences beyond denial of service may be possible, though only denial of service is demonstrated by the supplied proof of concept.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

ProFTPD SFTP service availability is at risk from a vulnerability allowing any authenticated user to trigger server crashes through malformed packets. Organizations depending on ProFTPD for file transfer operations must patch promptly to prevent service disruption and maintain operational continuity. Publicly documented proof-of-concept code is available.

Recommended Action

Within 24 hours, inventory all ProFTPD installations with mod_sftp enabled and assess risk exposure by reviewing which user accounts have SFTP access, particularly external users. Within 7 days, apply the vendor-released patch to all affected systems; if immediate patching is not feasible, implement network access restrictions limiting SFTP connections to trusted clients or enable connection rate limiting as interim mitigation. Within 30 days, confirm patch deployment across all systems, monitor SFTP service stability, and review access logs for evidence of exploitation or suspicious connection patterns.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 67% exploitable
Social Media
3
Sightings
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

38
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

A heap overflow occurs when a program writes data beyond the bounds of a buffer allocated in the heap memory region.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

CVE-2015-3306 CRITICAL POC
10.0 May 18

The mod_copy module in ProFTPD 1.3.5 allows remote attackers to read and write to arbitrary files via the site cpfr and

CVE-2023-48795 MEDIUM POC
5.9 Dec 18

The SSH transport protocol with certain OpenSSH extensions, found in OpenSSH before 9.6 and other products, allows remot

CVE-2019-12815 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Jul 19

An arbitrary file copy vulnerability in mod_copy in ProFTPD up to 1.3.5b allows for remote code execution and informatio

CVE-2026-42167 HIGH POC
8.1 Apr 28

SQL injection escalating to remote code execution in ProFTPD's mod_sql before 1.3.10rc1 lets remote attackers inject SQL

CVE-2026-44331 HIGH POC
8.1 May 05

SQL injection in ProFTPD 1.3.9a and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands when the 'UseRever

CVE-2023-51713 HIGH POC
7.5 Dec 22

make_ftp_cmd in main.c in ProFTPD before 1.3.8a has a one-byte out-of-bounds read, and daemon crash, because of mishandl

CVE-2019-18217 HIGH POC
7.5 Oct 21

ProFTPD before 1.3.6b and 1.3.7rc before 1.3.7rc2 allows remote unauthenticated denial-of-service due to incorrect handl

CVE-2013-4359 MEDIUM POC
5.0 Sep 30

Integer overflow in kbdint.c in mod_sftp in ProFTPD 1.3.4d and 1.3.5r3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of serv

CVE-2020-9273 HIGH
8.8 Feb 20

In ProFTPD 1.3.7, it is possible to corrupt the memory pool by interrupting the data transfer channel. Rated high severi

CVE-2026-63090 HIGH
8.7 Jul 20

Arbitrary code execution in ProFTPD's mod_sftp module (versions before 1.3.9c and 1.3.10rc3) allows authenticated low-pr

CVE-2026-35025 HIGH
8.6 Jun 24

Directory ACL bypass in ProFTPD (through 1.3.9b and 1.3.10rc2) lets authenticated FTP users reach files inside DenyAll-p

CVE-2016-3125 HIGH
7.5 Apr 05

The mod_tls module in ProFTPD before 1.3.5b and 1.3.6 before 1.3.6rc2 does not properly handle the TLSDHParamFile direct

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Important
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Server Applications 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Server Applications 15 SP6 Affected

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