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CrushFTP 11.3.1 - Authentication Bypass

Medium
Published: Sun May 18 2025 (05/18/2025, 00:00:00 UTC)
Source: Exploit-DB RSS Feed

Description

CrushFTP 11.3.1 - Authentication Bypass

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 06/11/2025, 21:14:10 UTC

Technical Analysis

The security threat pertains to an authentication bypass vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-31161 affecting CrushFTP versions prior to 10.8.4 and 11.3.1. CrushFTP is a widely used FTP server software that supports HTTP(S) access and administrative web interfaces. The vulnerability arises from a race condition and flawed header parsing logic in the AWS4-HMAC authorization mechanism implementation within the CrushFTP WebInterface. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication controls and gain full administrative access remotely via HTTP(S) requests. The exploit leverages specially crafted HTTP headers, including a manipulated 'Authorization' header mimicking AWS4-HMAC-SHA256 credentials, and specific cookies to trick the server into granting access as any known user, including the default 'crushadmin' account. The provided exploit code is a sophisticated Python 3 script that automates scanning and exploitation of targets. It supports multi-threaded scanning, vulnerability verification by analyzing HTTP responses, and exploitation by creating new administrative users with full permissions through crafted XML payloads sent to the server's WebInterface function endpoint. The exploit script includes features such as proxy support, customizable headers, user-agent randomization, and output formatting, making it a comprehensive tool for attackers. The vulnerability affects both Linux and Windows deployments of CrushFTP, as demonstrated by testing on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Windows Server 2019. No official patch links are provided yet, and no known exploits in the wild have been reported at the time of publication. However, the availability of public exploit code significantly increases the risk of exploitation.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a critical risk to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data managed via CrushFTP servers. Successful exploitation grants attackers full administrative control, enabling them to create privileged accounts, access sensitive files, modify configurations, and potentially pivot within internal networks. This could lead to data breaches, ransomware deployment, or disruption of critical file transfer services. Organizations relying on CrushFTP for secure file exchange, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, government, and manufacturing, could face severe operational and reputational damage. The ease of exploitation without authentication and the ability to automate attacks at scale exacerbate the threat. Moreover, the vulnerability affects both on-premises and cloud-hosted CrushFTP instances, broadening the attack surface. Given the critical nature of administrative access, attackers could also use compromised servers as footholds for further lateral movement or espionage activities targeting European entities.

Mitigation Recommendations

Immediate mitigation steps include: 1) Upgrading CrushFTP installations to versions 10.8.4 or 11.3.1 or later once official patches are released by the vendor. 2) Until patches are available, restrict access to the CrushFTP WebInterface by implementing network-level controls such as IP whitelisting, VPN-only access, or firewall rules to limit exposure to trusted hosts. 3) Monitor HTTP(S) access logs for suspicious requests containing anomalous 'Authorization' headers or unusual user creation activities. 4) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block requests exploiting the AWS4-HMAC header flaw. 5) Disable or limit the use of AWS4-HMAC authorization if not required, or enforce strict validation on authorization headers. 6) Regularly audit user accounts on CrushFTP servers to detect unauthorized administrative users. 7) Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) to alert on exploitation attempts. 8) Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative access where possible to add an additional security layer. 9) Conduct internal vulnerability scans to identify exposed CrushFTP instances and remediate accordingly. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on network segmentation, monitoring specific exploit indicators, and leveraging layered defenses to reduce attack surface and detect exploitation attempts early.

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Technical Details

Edb Id
52295
Has Exploit Code
true
Code Language
python

Indicators of Compromise

Exploit Source Code

Exploit Code

Exploit code for CrushFTP 11.3.1 - Authentication Bypass

# Exploit Title: CrushFTP 11.3.1 - Authentication Bypass
# Date: 2025-05-15
# Exploit Author: @İbrahimsql
# Exploit Author's github: https://github.com/ibrahimsql  
# Vendor Homepage: https://www.crushftp.com
# Software Link: https://www.crushftp.com/download.html
# Version: < 10.8.4, < 11.3.1
# Tested on: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Windows Server 2019, Kali Linux 2024.1
# CVE: CVE-2025-31161
# Description:
# CrushFTP before 10.8.4 and 11.3.1 allows unauthenticated HTTP(S) port access and full admin take
... (26482 more characters)
Code Length: 26,982 characters

Threat ID: 68489dcc7e6d765d51d53394

Added to database: 6/10/2025, 9:04:12 PM

Last enriched: 6/11/2025, 9:14:10 PM

Last updated: 8/2/2025, 10:21:10 PM

Views: 19

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