ProftpdApplication · Proftpd Project

CVE-2006-5815

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2006-11-08

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.3.0 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Stack-based buffer overflow in the sreplace function in ProFTPD 1.3.0 and earlier allows remote attackers, probably authenticated, to cause a denial of service and execute arbitrary code, as demonstrated by vd_proftpd.pm, a "ProFTPD remote exploit."

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Stack-based buffer overflow in the sreplace function in ProFTPD versions 1.3.0 and earlier allows remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via specially crafted input.

MitigationUpgrade ProFTPD to version 1.3.0a or later which contains the patch for this vulnerability. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict FTP access to trusted users only and implement network segmentation to reduce exposure.

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

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

ProftpdApplication

Affected:<= 1.3.0

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

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

Identify ProFTPD installation and version

Run `proftpd -v` or check the package manager (e.g., `rpm -q proftpd`, `dpkg -l proftpd`) to retrieve the installed ProFTPD version number.

Affected if The installed version is 1.3.0 or any earlier version (e.g., 1.2.x, 1.1.x, 1.0.x).
Confirm ProFTPD service is running

Check if the ProFTPD daemon is active using commands like `ps aux | grep proftpd`, `systemctl status proftpd`, or by testing FTP connectivity on port 21.

Affected if The ProFTPD service is running and accepting connections, making it accessible to potential attackers.
Verify FTP access is enabled for users

Review the ProFTPD configuration file (typically `/etc/proftpd/proftpd.conf` or `/etc/proftpd.conf`) to confirm that FTP access is not restricted to localhost only and that user authentication is enabled.

Affected if Remote user authentication is permitted, allowing external users to log in and trigger the vulnerable sreplace function.

The system is affected if ProFTPD version 1.3.0 or earlier is installed and running with accessible FTP authentication enabled.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.3.0

Interim mitigation

Upgrade ProFTPD to version 1.3.0a or later which contains the patch for this vulnerability. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict FTP access to trusted users only and implement network segmentation to reduce exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

ProFTPD 1.3.1 or later (1.3.1 was released to address this vulnerability)

1. Back up the current ProFTPD configuration files (typically in /etc/proftpd/ or /etc/) 2. Stop the ProFTPD service: 'service proftpd stop' or 'systemctl stop proftpd' 3. Download ProFTPD version 1.3.1 or later from the official ProFTPD website (ftp.proftpd.org) or your distribution's package repository 4. Install the new version using your distribution's package manager or compile from source wi

Caveat Review configuration for compatibility with newer versions; some directives may be deprecated in later releases

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

Fix this in Proftpd Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation2.0 h
Implementation1.0 h
Testing3.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

7.0 hours of engineering $1,210

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,936.

Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2006-5815 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2006-5815?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 1.3.0 or later

Severity 10.0 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 73.8%

Affects: Proftpd

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Proftpd 7 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $1,210

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2006-5815 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References