Description
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.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProFTPD Project | ProFTPD | — | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | proftpd-dfsg | 1.3.9b~dfsg-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | proftpd-dfsg | 1.3.8.c+dfsg-4+deb13u3 | — |
| Debian 12 | proftpd-dfsg | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | proftpd-dfsg | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | proftpd-dfsg | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | proftpd-dfsg | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | proftpd-dfsg | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | proftpd-dfsg | No fix yet | — |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | proftpd-dfsg | No fix yet | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | proftpd | 1.3.8b-150600.13.18.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5181-1 |
| SLES 15 SP6 | proftpd | 1.3.8b-150600.13.18.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5181-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 15 SP6 | proftpd | 1.3.8b-150600.13.18.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:5181-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | proftpd | 1.3.9e-2.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:12517-1 |
Advisories 4
- openSUSE-SU-2026:12517-1 proftpd-1.3.9e-2.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Nov 11, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:5181-1 Security update for proftpd SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Nov 11, 2026
- WID-SEC-2026-2406 ProFTPD: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Denial of Service BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 10, 2026
- WID-SEC-2026-3038 Meinberg LANTIME: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Aug 26, 2026
References
- Product product
- Patch Commit patch
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/proftpd-mod-sftp-heap-buffer-overflow-via-unsigned-integer-underflow-and-size-truncation third-party-advisory