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CVE-2010-20103

9.8 · CRITICAL

A malicious backdoor was embedded in the official ProFTPD 1.3.3c source tarball distributed between November 28 and December 2, 2010.

Published Aug 20, 2025CWE-912EPSS 13.76%

Overview

CVE-2010-20103 is a critical-severity vulnerability. It was published on August 20, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical 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.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

References

Refwww.proftpd.org/Refadvisories.checkpoint.com/defense/advisories/public/2011/cpai-2010-151.html/GitHubgithub.com/proftpd/proftpdRefraw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/master/modules/exploits/unix/ftp/proftpd_133c_backdoor.rbRefweb.archive.org/web/20111107212129/http://rsync.proftpd.org/Refwww.exploit-db.com/exploits/15662Refwww.exploit-db.com/exploits/16921Refwww.vulncheck.com/advisories/proftpd-backdoor-command-executionRefraw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/master/modules/exploits/unix/ftp/proftpd_133c_backdoor.rbRefwww.exploit-db.com/exploits/15662

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2010-20103?

CVE-2010-20103 is a critical-severity vulnerability. It was published on August 20, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

How severe is CVE-2010-20103?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2010-20103?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2010-20103?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2010-20103 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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