ftp client PASV response IP not validated against control peer, enabling SSRF and FTP bounce attacks
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- Present
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · Low · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 fixed, 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in Erlang/OTP ftp (ftp_internal module) allows FTP bounce attacks and SSRF via an unvalidated PASV response IP address. The ftp_internal:handle_ctrl_result/2 PASV handler (mode=passive, ipfamily=inet, ftp_extension=false) extracts the IP address from the server's 227 response and passes it directly to gen_tcp:connect/4 without validating it against the control connection peer address. The adjacent EPSV handlers correctly call peername(CSock) to derive the IP from the control connection, but the PASV handler does not. A malicious or compromised FTP server can redirect the client's data connection to an arbitrary internal host and port. On read operations (ftp:ls/1,2, ftp:nlist/1,2, ftp:recv/2,3), data from the redirected target is returned to the caller. On write operations (ftp:send/2,3, ftp:append/2,3), file content is sent to the redirected target. This enables SSRF against internal hosts, cloud metadata endpoints, and FTP bounce attacks against third-party hosts. The vulnerable path is the default configuration (mode=passive, ipfamily=inet, ftp_extension=false). RFC 2577 section 3 explicitly recommends validating the PASV response IP against the control connection peer. The ftp application is deprecated and scheduled for removal in OTP-30. This vulnerability is associated with program files lib/inets/src/ftp/ftp_internal.erl (inets 5.10.4 through 6.5, OTP 17.4 through 20.3) and lib/ftp/src/ftp_internal.erl (ftp 1.0 and later, OTP 21.0 and later). This issue affects OTP from OTP 17.4 before OTP 29.0.2, OTP 28.5.0.2 and OTP 27.3.4.13, corresponding to inets from 5.10.4 before 7.0 and ftp from 1.0 before 1.2.6, 1.2.4.1 and 1.2.3.1.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erlang | OTP | 5.10.4 to before 7.0 | 7.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| Erlang | OTP | 1.0 and later | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Erlang | OTP | 17.4 and later | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- OTP VendorErlang Affected 5.10.4 to before 7.0 Fixed in 7.0 Patch available CNA
- OTP VendorErlang Affected 1.0 and later Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- OTP VendorErlang Affected 17.4 and later Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 3
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/inets:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.10.4 to before 7.0 | Vulnerable | Erlang |
| cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/otp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 17.4 to before 27.3.4.13; 28.0 to before 28.5.0.2; 29.0 to before 29.0.2 | Vulnerable | Erlang |
| cpe:2.3:a:erlang:ftp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.0 to before 1.2.3.1; 1.2.4 to before 1.2.4.1; 1.2.5 to before 1.2.6 | Vulnerable | Erlang |
- cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/inets:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.10.4 to before 7.0 Vulnerable ·Erlang
- cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/otp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 17.4 to before 27.3.4.13; 28.0 to before 28.5.0.2; 29.0 to before 29.0.2 Vulnerable ·Erlang
- cpe:2.3:a:erlang:ftp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.0 to before 1.2.3.1; 1.2.4 to before 1.2.4.1; 1.2.5 to before 1.2.6 Vulnerable ·Erlang
Remediation
- Fix · CNA OTP (Erlang) Fixed in 7.0
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2026:63160 Released 2026-09-03 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update
- Red Hat Hardened Images erlang27-27.3.4.17-1.hum1@aarch64, erlang27-27.3.4.17-1.hum1@src, erlang27-27.3.4.17-1.hum1@x86_64 +47
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 16.2 | Affected | — |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 17.1 | Affected | — |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 18.0 | Affected | — |
| Red Hat Hardened Images | Fixed | RHSA-2026:63160 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-48858
References
Patch 2
Advisory 3
More Erlang/inets vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-23002 ScriptAlias CGI targets bypass directory auth in inets httpd (mod_auth vs mod_cgi path mismatch) CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.3
- TI-2026-36121 httpc leaks Authorization header to cross-origin redirect targets CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.1
- TI-2026-19284 Request smuggling via first-wins Content-Length parsing in inets httpd CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.0
Sources
- CVE-2026-48858 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-48858 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2026-48858 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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