Skip to content
Noroxi
CVE-2023-42657· NVD / CVE Program· CNA ProgressSoftware

WS_FTP Server Directory Traversal

In WS_FTP Server versions prior to 8.7.4 and 8.8.2, a directory traversal vulnerability was discovered.  An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to perform file operations (delete, rename, rmdir, mkdir) on files and folders outside of their authorized WS_FTP folder path.  Attackers could also escape the context of the WS_FTP Server file structure and perform the same level of operations (delete, rename, rmdir, mkdir) on file and folder locations on the underlying operating system.

CriticalCVSS 9.6 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Sep 27, 2023
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
17.0% · 97th percentile
Follow this CVE

Sign in to follow · You’ll be notified if a followed record enters KEV, gets an exploit or is updated.

Report tools

JSON

Action score

43

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
38 / 40 · 9.6 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
5 / 30 · 17.0%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
9.6
CNA · ProgressSoftware
9.9
0.3 point gap

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Affected systems

VendorProduct
progressws ftp server

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • progress ws ftp serverbefore 8.7.4
  • progress ws ftp server8.8.0 and later · before 8.8.2

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (ProgressSoftware). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Progress Software Corporation WS_FTP Server

    • 8.8.0 and later · before 8.8.2affected · semver
    • 8.7.0 and later · before 8.7.4affected · semver

Same product

progress: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2023-40044WS_FTP Server Ad Hoc Transfer Module .NET Deserialization VulnerabilityKEV
    92Now
  • CVE-2008-0590Buffer overflow in Ipswitch WS_FTP Server with SSH 6.1.0.0 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (crash) and possib
    43Plan
  • CVE-2001-1021Buffer overflows in WS_FTP 2.02 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via long arguments to (1) DELE, (2) MDTM, (3) MLST, (4) MKD
    43Plan
  • CVE-2023-42659WS_FTP Server Arbitrary File Upload
    35Monitor
  • CVE-2022-27665Reflected XSS (via AngularJS sandbox escape expressions) exists in Progress Ipswitch WS_FTP Server 8.6.0.
    34Monitor
  • CVE-2002-0826Buffer overflow in WS_FTP FTP Server 3.1.1 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code via a long SITE CPWD command.
    34Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Progress Software Corporation WS_FTP Server8.7.4Vendor (CNA)
Progress Software Corporation WS_FTP Server8.8.2Vendor (CNA)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted

Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Root cause

A user-supplied file name is joined with the allowed directory, but the result is never checked to confirm it is still inside that directory.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-22 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);res.sendFile(file);

Fixed

ts
const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) {  return res.sendStatus(400);}res.sendFile(file);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.

We use this product, ask for help

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records