Bug 2389784 (CVE-2010-20103)

Summary: CVE-2010-20103 proftpd: ProFTPD 1.3.3c Backdoor Command Execution
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: urgent Docs Contact:
Priority: urgent    
Version: unspecifiedKeywords: Security
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Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in ProFTPD. On November 28, 2010, attackers accessed the ProFTPD distribution server and added a backdoor to version 1.3.3.c source files. The backdoor introduced by the attackers allows unauthenticated users remote root access to systems running the modified ProFTPD version. The issue was identified in December and was promptly addressed shortly after.
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2025-08-20 16:02:46 UTC
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.