CVE-2019-12145
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 · uneditedA Directory Traversal issue was discovered in SSHServerAPI.dll in Progress ipswitch WS_FTP Server 2018 before 8.6.1. An attacker can supply a string using special patterns via the SCP protocol to disclose path names on the host operating system.
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 confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability exists in SSHServerAPI.dll in Progress ipswitch WS_FTP Server 2018 prior to version 8.6.1. The flaw allows attackers to use specially crafted strings via the SCP protocol to enumerate and disclose absolute path names on the host filesystem, potentially revealing system directory structure.
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< 8.6.1CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify WS_FTP Server is installedCheck for WS_FTP Server installation in the system by looking for the product in Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or checking common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Ipswitch\WS_FTP Server or /opt/ws_ftp_server on LinuxAffected if WS_FTP Server 2018 is present on the system
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Determine installed WS_FTP Server versionOpen the WS_FTP Server Manager or check the version information of the SSHServerAPI.dll file (typically found in the server's bin directory). Right-click the DLL, select Properties, and view the Version tab to find the product versionAffected if The installed version is earlier than 8.6.1
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Confirm SCP protocol is enabledAccess the WS_FTP Server Manager and navigate to the protocol settings or SSH/SCP configuration panel. Verify whether the SCP protocol module is currently active or allowed for user connectionsAffected if SCP protocol is enabled and the WS_FTP Server version is below 8.6.1
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Locate SSHServerAPI.dll fileSearch for the file SSHServerAPI.dll within the WS_FTP Server installation directory structure, typically under the Server or bin subfolder. Note its full path for version verification if neededAffected if The file exists and belongs to a WS_FTP Server 2018 installation prior to version 8.6.1
A system is affected if WS_FTP Server 2018 with a version lower than 8.6.1 is installed, the SCP protocol is enabled, and the SSHServerAPI.dll component is present.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor data8.6.1
Upgrade WS_FTP Server 2018 to version 8.6.1 or later to obtain the vendor patch. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict or disable SCP protocol access until the upgrade can be completed.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-12145 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-12145 in production — separate from our analysis above.
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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- 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
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