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Core FtpApplication · Coreftp

CVE-2020-21588

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-04-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Buffer overflow in Core FTP LE v2.2 allows local attackers to cause a denial or service (crash) via a long string in the Setup->Users->Username editbox.

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 · moderate confidence

Buffer overflow in Core FTP LE v2.2 allows local attackers to cause denial of service via a crafted long string entered in the Setup->Users->Username editbox, triggering a crash.

MitigationApply vendor patch when available. Until then, restrict local access to the workstation running Core FTP LE and avoid configuring new users through the vulnerable interface.

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
Core FtpApplication
Affected:= 2.2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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 Core FTP LE installation
    Search for coreftp.exe or coreftp le.exe in common installation directories (C:\Program Files\CoreFTP, C:\Program Files (x86)\CoreFTP) or use system search
    Affected if Core FTP LE executable is found on the system
  2. Retrieve installed version
    Right-click the coreftp.exe file, select Properties, and check the Version tab for the File Version entry
    Affected if File version shows exactly 2.2
  3. Confirm product name
    In the same Properties dialog, verify the Product Name field shows "Core FTP LE" or similar Core FTP branding
    Affected if Product identifies as Core FTP LE version 2.2
  4. Verify version via alternate method
    Launch Core FTP LE, go to Help -> About or equivalent menu option to view reported version number
    Affected if Reported version is 2.2

A system is affected only if Core FTP LE version 2.2 is installed and the user accesses the Setup->Users interface to configure a username with an overly long string, which triggers the buffer overflow and crash.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patch when available. Until then, restrict local access to the workstation running Core FTP LE and avoid configuring new users through the vulnerable interface.

Fix this in Core Ftp Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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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-2020-21588 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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