Re: WFTPD "Pro" 3.0 R4 Buffer Overflow

From: Alun Jones (alunat_private)
Date: Mon Apr 23 2001 - 12:44:55 PDT

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    At 03:20 PM 4/22/2001, Len Budney wrote:
    >WFTP is the Win/NT FTP server by Alun Jones
    
    Incorrect.  WFTP was a short-lived FTP _client_, by someone else
    entirely.  _WFTPD_ is the Windows (all versions) FTP server by Texas
    Imperial Software.
    
    >The latest version of WFTPD is vulnerable to a buffer overflow in the
    >RETR and CWD commands. The overflow can be used to completely disable
    >the FTP server, and can probably be exploited to run arbitrary code
    >on the server host.
    
    Again, incorrect.  The buffer overflow claimed here, and its accompanying
    "exploit" code posted by Mr Budney, are not effective against WFTPD or
    WFTPD Pro in any form.  A normal FTP error response is given, and the
    server continues in its operation.  Needless to say, anyone who, like Mr
    Budney, is unwilling to take the word of a vendor, is welcome to download
    and try our software against this reported vulnerability.  We would welcome
    any corrections.
    
    >This problem was already reported for version 3.0 R1 on March 3, 2001
    >[1], and the author claimed that he had "fixed" the overflow. What he
    >apparently did was make the buffers bigger; now instead of ~500 characters
    >overflowing the buffer, it takes ~32K instead.
    
    Again, incorrect.  The author _did_ fix the overflow, and what the author
    _actually_ did, rather than any surmise in Mr Budney's mind, was to check
    the size of input string against local buffers, and either dynamically
    re-size the buffers, trim the string, or ignore the command
    altogether.  While no author can claim that his code is entirely free from
    bugs, _this_ vulnerability is not an issue with current versions of WFTPD
    and WFTPD Pro.  Particularly, a CWD or RETR command with 32k of argument
    does _not_ cause WFTPD or WFTPD Pro to crash, hang, or otherwise
    misbehave.  I have myself tested this against a command line with a million
    characters without any apparent adverse effects.
    
    Rather ironically, given ongoing discussion on vendor notification in
    comp.security.unix, Mr Budney could have saved himself the embarrassment of
    having filed such a poorly-researched bug report had he contacted the
    vendors of WFTPD before posting to Bugtraq.
    
    Alun Jones
    President, Texas Imperial Software
    
    --
    Texas Imperial Software   | Try WFTPD, the Windows FTP Server. Find us at
    1602 Harvest Moon Place   | http://www.wftpd.com or email alunat_private
    Cedar Park TX 78613-1419  | VISA/MC accepted.  NT-based sites, be sure to
    Fax/Voice +1(512)378-3246 | read details of WFTPD Pro for NT.
    



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