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Wu FtpdApplication · Washington University

CVE-1999-0080

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 1995-11-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Certain configurations of wu-ftp FTP server 2.4 use a _PATH_EXECPATH setting to a directory with dangerous commands, such as /bin, which allows remote authenticated users to gain root access via the "site exec" command.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

wu-ftp FTP server version 2.4 with _PATH_EXECPATH configured to point to a directory containing dangerous system commands (such as /bin) allows any remote authenticated user to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges through the 'site exec' feature.

MitigationChange _PATH_EXECPATH in the wu-ftp configuration to point to a secure, isolated directory without privileged binaries, or disable the 'site exec' command entirely, and upgrade to a patched version if available.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Wu FtpdApplication
Affected:= 2.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate wu-ftpd binary
    Search for ftpd binary: `which ftpd` or `find /usr -name ftpd -type f 2>/dev/null`. Common paths include /usr/sbin/ftpd, /usr/local/sbin/ftpd, or /usr/local/bin/ftpd.
    Affected if wu-ftpd binary is found on the system
  2. Check wu-ftpd version
    Run `ftpd -v` or `ftpd -V` to display version information. If not available, check the binary with `strings <path_to_ftpd> | grep -i "2\.4"` or examine the package with `rpm -qa | grep wu` (Red Hat) or `dpkg -l | grep wu` (Debian).
    Affected if Version is exactly 2.4 (this CVE applies only to 2.4)
  3. Find _PATH_EXECPATH configuration
    Check the wu-ftpd source or configuration: look for files like /etc/ftpaccess, /etc/wu-ftpd/ftpaccess, or examine the compiled binary with `strings <path_to_ftpd> | grep -i execpath`. The _PATH_EXECPATH was often hardcoded in the source file path.h or defined at compile time.
    Affected if _PATH_EXECPATH is found and points to a directory containing privileged binaries
  4. Verify _PATH_EXECPATH points to dangerous directory
    Examine the _PATH_EXECPATH value found in step 3. Common dangerous values include /bin, /usr/bin, /sbin, or any directory containing executables like /usr/bin/id, /bin/sh, or other system commands.
    Affected if _PATH_EXECPATH points to /bin, /usr/bin, or contains system utilities like sh, id, or cp
  5. Confirm site exec feature is enabled
    Check ftpaccess configuration file (usually /etc/ftpaccess or /etc/wu-ftpd/ftpaccess) for 'site exec' or 'site allow' directives. Run `grep -i "site.*exec" /etc/ftpaccess 2>/dev/null` or check if the ftpaccess file exists and is being used.
    Affected if site exec is enabled in ftpaccess configuration, allowing authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands

System is affected if wu-ftpd version 2.4 is installed AND _PATH_EXECPATH points to a directory with privileged binaries (like /bin) AND site exec feature is enabled in the ftp configuration.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Change _PATH_EXECPATH in the wu-ftp configuration to point to a secure, isolated directory without privileged binaries, or disable the 'site exec' command entirely, and upgrade to a patched version if available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Migrate to a maintained FTP server such as vsftpd, proftpd, or pure-ftpd, as wu-ftpd is obsolete and unmaintained

  1. 1. Locate the wu-ftpd configuration file (typically /etc/ftpaccess or /etc/wu-ftpd/ftpaccess)
  2. 2. Find the _PATH_EXECPATH directive in the configuration
  3. 3. Change _PATH_EXECPATH from /bin to a restricted directory (e.g., /home/ftp/bin or /usr/local/ftpexec)
  4. 4. Create the new restricted directory and populate it with only the specific, safe executables that FTP users actually need
  5. 5. Ensure the restricted directory has appropriate permissions (e.g., chmod 755) and owned by root
  6. 6. Remove dangerous commands (such as /bin/sh, /bin/bash, /bin/rm, /bin/mv, /bin/cp) from the execution path accessible via 'site exec'
  7. 7. Restart the wu-ftpd service to apply configuration changes
  8. 8. Test that the 'site exec' command works only for intended, safe commands
Caveat Migration to modern FTP servers requires new configuration syntax and may require updating FTP client scripts; ensure backup of current configuration before migration

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Wu Ftpd Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-1999-0080 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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