CVE-2026-41235
highpriority · track · 0OT risk · elevatedEPSS 0.002 · 14 %ileDEEUUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-28
Froxlor is open source server administration software. Version 2.3.6 lets administrators configure `system.available_shells` as the approved shell list that customers may assign to FTP users. However, the server-side FTP account handlers do not enforce that whitelist when processing add or edit requests. As a result, an authenticated customer with shell delegation enabled can submit an arbitrary shell such as `/bin/bash` even when the panel UI only offers more restricted choices. In deployments that use the default `nssextrausers` integration, the attacker-controlled shell is then propagated into the system account database, leading to real host shell access. Version 2.3.7 fixes the issue.
cvss
Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.
base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode
ssvc
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weaknesses
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affected products (4)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
advisories (2)
Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.
- WID-SEC-W-2026-1737Froxlor: Mehrere SchwachstellenDeutsch2026-05-28csaf · cert_bundDE
Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Froxlor ausnutzen, um seine Privilegien zu erhöhen, um Informationen offenzulegen, um Dateien zu manipulieren, und um Sicherheitsvorkehrungen zu umgehen.
- GHSA-gcv3-5v9q-fmhhFroxlor has an authorization bypass in FTP shell assignment via missing server-side `available_shells` enforcement2026-05-29ghsa · osvUS
### Summary Froxlor 2.3.6 lets administrators configure `system.available_shells` as the approved shell list that customers may assign to FTP users. However, the server-side FTP account handlers do not enforce that whitelist when processing add or edit requests. As a result, an authenticated customer with shell delegation enabled can submit an arbitrary shell such as `/bin/bash` even when the panel UI only offers more restricted choices. In deployments that use the default `nssextrausers` integration, the attacker-controlled shell is then propagated into the system account database, leading to real host shell access. ### Details The customer-facing FTP account page builds the shell selector from `system.available_shells`, which shows that the product intends the setting to act as the authorization boundary: ```php // customer_ftp.php:138-149 $shells = [ '/bin/false' => '/bin/false' ]; $availableshells = explode(',', Settings::Get('system.available_shells')); if (is_array($availableshells) && !empty($availableshells)) { foreach ($availableshells as $shell) { $shells[trim($shell)] = trim($shell); } } ``` The request handler forwards posted form data directly into the FTP API command implementation: ```php // customer_ftp.php:170-172 if ($action == 'edit' && Request::post('send') == 'send') { $result = $log->logAction(USR_ACTION, LOG_INFO, "edited ftp-account #" . $id); Commands::get()->apiCall('Ftps.update', Request::postAll()); } ``` On the server side, `Ftps::add()` and `Ftps::update()` only perform generic shell string validation. They do not verify that the submitted shell belongs to `system.available_shells`: ```php // lib/Froxlor/Api/Commands/Ftps.php:119-123 if (Settings::Get('system.allow_customer_shell') == '1' && $this->getUserDetail('shell_allowed') == '1') { $shell = Validate::validate(trim($shell), 'shell', '', '', [], true); } else { $shell = '/bin/false'; } ``` The validated shell is stored into `ftp_users.shell` and later consumed by the root-owned cron task that rebuilds NSS extrausers files: ```php // lib/Froxlor/Cron/System/Extrausers.php:89-97 $passwd_entries[] = $user['username'] . ':x:' . $uid . ':' . $gid . ':' . $gecos . ':' . $homedir . ':' . $shell; ``` Because the default installer configuration sets `system.nssextrausers=1`, and the shipped Debian/Bookworm configuration enables `extrausers` in `nsswitch.conf`, the attacker-controlled shell becomes the effective login shell of the generated system user on standard supported deployments. ### PoC An attacker needs a normal customer account and a deployment where customer shell delegation is enabled for that customer. Relevant runtime prerequisites: - `system.allow_customer_shell=1` - the attacking customer has `shell_allowed=1` - the deployment uses `system.nssextrausers=1` with the shipped `libnss-extrausers` integration Froxlor requires a valid CSRF token for POST requests, so the attacker performs the exploit from an authenticated session. Complete PoC flow: 1. Log in as a customer and obtain a valid `csrf_token`. 2. Identify one FTP account owned by that customer. 3. Submit an edit request that sets an arbitrary shell outside the administrator-approved `system.available_shells` list: ```http POST /customer_ftp.php?page=accounts&action=edit&id=17 HTTP/1.1 Host: target.example Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded Cookie: <authenticated customer session> csrf_token=VALID_CSRF_TOKEN& send=send& id=17& username=test1ftp1& ftp_description=poc& path=/& shell=/bin/bash& login_enabled=1 ``` 4. Wait for Froxlor's master cron to process the queued `REBUILD_NSSUSERS` task. Result: - the request is accepted even if `/bin/bash` is not present in `system.available_shells` - `ftp_users.shell` is updated to `/bin/bash` - `/var/lib/extrausers/passwd` is regenerated with `/bin/bash` as the FTP user's login shell - the attacker can then authenticate to the host using that FTP user's credentials and obtain an interactive shell ### Impact This issue lets a low-privileged customer bypass an administrator-defined authorization boundary and promote an FTP-only account into a real shell account. On shared-hosting systems managed by Froxlor, that materially changes the trust model and can expose the host to lateral movement, local privilege-escalation follow-on attacks, data theft from colocated services, and persistence on the server. Because the vulnerable flow is executed through the normal authenticated web interface and a root-owned provisioning task later materializes the chosen shell at the operating-system level, the vulnerability is stronger than a UI-only restriction bypass.
also known as (3)
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sources
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references (7)
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/froxlor/froxlor/releasesPatchcnnvd
- https://github.com/froxlor/froxlor/releases/tag/2.3.7cnnvd
- https://github.com/froxlor/froxlor/security/advisories/GHSA-gcv3-5v9q-fmhhcnnvd
- https://github.com/froxlor/froxlor/releases/tag/2.3.7enisa_euvd
- https://github.com/froxlor/froxlor/security/advisories/GHSA-gcv3-5v9q-fmhhenisa_euvd
- https://github.com/froxlor/froxlor/releases/tag/2.3.7nvd
- https://github.com/froxlor/froxlor/security/advisories/GHSA-gcv3-5v9q-fmhhnvd
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