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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 26 Oct 2023. Known ransomware use
Ws Ftp ServerApplication · Progress

CVE-2023-40044

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.7.4 / 8.8.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable 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
In WS_FTP Server versions prior to 8.7.4 and 8.8.2, a pre-authenticated attacker could leverage a .NET deserialization vulnerability in the Ad Hoc Transfer module to execute remote commands on the underlying WS_FTP Server 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 confidence

A pre-authenticated .NET deserialization vulnerability in the Ad Hoc Transfer module of WS_FTP Server versions prior to 8.7.4 and 8.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the host operating system without any authentication credentials.

MitigationUpgrade WS_FTP Server to version 8.7.4 or 8.8.2 or later to apply the patch for the deserialization vulnerability in the Ad Hoc Transfer module.

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
Ws Ftp ServerApplication
Affected:< 8.7.4>= 8.8, < 8.8.2

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Confirm WS_FTP Server is installed
    Check for WS_FTP Server installation directory, typically at C:\Program Files\Ipswitch\WS_FTP Server\ or look in Windows Programs and Features for 'WS_FTP Server'
    Affected if WS_FTP Server is not installed on the system
  2. Identify installed WS_FTP Server version
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features > select WS_FTP Server > check the Version column, or run: reg query 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Ipswitch\WS_FTP Server\8.0\Setup' /v Version
    Affected if Version is less than 8.7.4 OR version is 8.8.0 or 8.8.1 (falls within < 8.7.4 or >= 8.8, < 8.8.2)
  3. Verify Ad Hoc Transfer module status
    Open WS_FTP Server Administration console > go to Server > Extensions > Ad Hoc Transfer, or check registry: reg query 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Ipswitch\WS_FTP Server\Ad Hoc Transfer' /v Enabled
    Affected if Ad Hoc Transfer module is enabled (this is the vulnerable component)
  4. Check network exposure of FTP service
    Review firewall rules and WS_FTP Server listener configuration to determine if ports used by Ad Hoc Transfer (typically HTTP/HTTPS ports) are accessible from untrusted networks
    Affected if Ad Hoc Transfer web interface is reachable from external/untrusted networks (pre-authentication flaw)

System is affected if WS_FTP Server versions 8.7.0-8.7.3, 8.8.0, or 8.8.1 are installed WITH the Ad Hoc Transfer module enabled and exposed to network access.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.7.4 / 8.8.2 or later
Fixed in 8.7.48.8.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade WS_FTP Server to version 8.7.4 or 8.8.2 or later to apply the patch for the deserialization vulnerability in the Ad Hoc Transfer module.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to WS_FTP Server 8.7.4 or later (for 8.7.x branch), or 8.8.2 or later (for 8.8.x branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current version of WS_FTP Server by checking the About or version information in the WS_FTP Server administration interface
  2. 2. If running version 8.7.x (versions prior to 8.7.4), plan to upgrade to version 8.7.4 or later
  3. 3. If running version 8.8.x (versions 8.8.0 or 8.8.1), plan to upgrade to version 8.8.2 or later
  4. 4. Before upgrading, backup the WS_FTP Server configuration and data
  5. 5. Download the appropriate fixed version from the official Progress Software download site or vendor portal
  6. 6. Apply the upgrade following the standard WS_FTP Server upgrade procedure documented in the product manual
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the WS_FTP Server services are running correctly
  8. 8. Test that the Ad Hoc Transfer module functions properly after the upgrade

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

Fix this in Ws Ftp Server Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
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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-2023-40044 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