Deserialization in Progress Ws FTP Server
CVE-2023-40044
In WS_FTP Server versions prior to 8.7.4 and 8.8.2, a pre-authenticated attacker could leverage a .NET deserialization vulnerability in the Ad Hoc Transfer module to execute remote commands on the underlying WS_FTP Server operating system.
Vulnerability class: Insecure Deserialization
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 10.0 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.904 (99.8th percentile), scored .
High probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — patch promptly. 100th percentile — 99.8% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.901 · newest: 0.904 · change: +0.002
Affected products
- Progress Ws FTP Server
- Progress Software Corporation Ws FTP Server — versions 8.8.0, 8.7.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)
This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on . CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.
BOD 22-01 due date: .
Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Known ransomware campaign use: yes.
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- www.progress.com/ws_ftp (Product, product)
- community.progress.com/s/article/WS-FTP-Server-Critical-Vulnerability-September… (vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
- www.theregister.com/2023/10/02/ws_ftp_update/ (Third Party Advisory, Press/Media Coverage)
- www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2023/09/29/etr-critical-vulnerabilities-in-ws_ftp-serv… (Third Party Advisory, Broken Link)
- attackerkb.com/topics/bn32f9sNax/cve-2023-40044 (Third Party Advisory)
- censys.com/cve-2023-40044/ (Third Party Advisory)
- www.assetnote.io/resources/research/rce-in-progress-ws-ftp-ad-hoc-via-iis-http-… (Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/174917/Progress-Software-WS_FTP-Unauthenticated-R… (Exploit, VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory)
- 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (US Government Resource)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2023-40044?
- CVE-2023-40044 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Progress Ws FTP Server, classified under Deserialization of Untrusted Data. CVSS score: 10.0/10. Published 2023-09-27.
- How severe is CVE-2023-40044?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 10.0 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2023-40044 known to be exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2023-40044 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2023-10-05), indicating it is being actively exploited. 14 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.