CVE-2025-31161: CrushFTP Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Published Apr 3, 2025
·
Updated

CrushFTP 10 before 10.8.4 and 11 before 11.3.1 allows authentication bypass and takeover of the crushadmin account (unless a DMZ proxy instance is used), as exploited in the wild in March and April 2025, aka "Unauthenticated HTTP(S) port access." A race condition exists in the AWS4-HMAC (compatible with S3) authorization method of the HTTP component of the FTP server. The server first verifies the existence of the user by performing a call to loginuserpass() with no password requirement. This will authenticate the session through the HMAC verification process and up until the server checks for user verification once more. The vulnerability can be further stabilized, eliminating the need for successfully triggering a race condition, by sending a mangled AWS4-HMAC header. By providing only the username and a following slash (/), the server will successfully find a username, which triggers the successful anypass authentication process, but the server will fail to find the expected SignedHeaders entry, resulting in an index-out-of-bounds error that stops the code from reaching the session cleanup. Together, these issues make it trivial to authenticate as any known or guessable user (e.g., crushadmin), and can lead to a full compromise of the system by obtaining an administrative account.

Other sources

CrushFTP contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the HTTP authorization header that allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to authenticate to any known or guessable user account (e.g., crushadmin), potentially leading to a full compromise.

CISA

Affected Software

4 affected components
CrushFTP Crushftp<10.8.4, <11.3.1
CrushFTP Crushftp
CrushFTP Crushftp>=10.0.0<10.8.4
CrushFTP Crushftp>=11.0.0<11.3.1

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade CrushFTP 10 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 10.8.4
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade CrushFTP 11 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 11.3.1
  3. Remove

    Remove CrushFTP from your environment.

    Discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

  4. Compensating control

    Deploy CrushFTP behind a DMZ proxy instance (use a DMZ proxy instance to prevent direct unauthenticated HTTP(S) port access).

Event History

Apr 1, 2025
News Published
via BleepingComputer·12:46 PM
Apr 3, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
News Published
via Dark Reading·07:51 PM
Data Sourced
via NVD·08:15 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Apr 5, 2025
News Published
via BleepingComputer·12:48 PM
Apr 7, 2025
Known Exploited
via CISA·12:00 AM
Known Ransomware
via CISA·12:00 AM
May 18, 2025
Exploit Published
12:00 AM
May 12, 2026
News Published
via Dark Reading·10:19 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-31161?

CVE-2025-31161 has been classified as a critical vulnerability due to its potential for authentication bypass and account takeover.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-31161?

To mitigate CVE-2025-31161, upgrade your CrushFTP software to version 10.8.4 or later for the 10.x series or version 11.3.1 or later for the 11.x series.

3

What are the potential impacts of CVE-2025-31161?

The exploitation of CVE-2025-31161 can lead to unauthorized access to the crushadmin account, resulting in potential data breaches or service disruptions.

4

Is there a workaround for CVE-2025-31161?

A temporary workaround for CVE-2025-31161 is to use a DMZ proxy instance to limit direct access to the vulnerable CrushFTP instances.

5

When was CVE-2025-31161 first exploited?

CVE-2025-31161 was reported to have been exploited in the wild during March and April of 2025.

Contact

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