CVE-2025-31161
Published: April 7, 2025
Official Description
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 KEV Advisory
CrushFTP Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
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.
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Risk Analysis
CrushFTP contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in its HTTP authorization header, allowing unauthenticated attackers to log in as any known or guessable user. The very high EPSS score of 0.87967 indicates a strong likelihood of exploitation, and its inclusion in CISA's KEV confirms active exploitation. This flaw is critical as it can lead to a full system compromise.
This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild. The authentication bypass is remotely exploitable by an unauthenticated attacker, making it a severe threat.
Apply all available security updates for CrushFTP immediately. Implement strong, unique passwords for all user accounts and consider multi-factor authentication where possible.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2025-31161 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
CISA has added CVE-2025-31161 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.
Exploit & PoC Resources
News & Research Mentioning CVE-2025-31161
CrushFTP is a Java-based open source file transfer system. It is offered for multiple operating systems. If you run a CrushFTP instance, you may remember that the software has had some serious vulnerabilities: CVE-2024-4040 (the template-injection flaw that let unauthenticated attackers escape the VFS sandbox and achieve RCE), CVE-2025-31161 (the auth-bypass that handed over the crushadmin account on a silver platter), and the July 2025 zero-day CVE-2025-54309 that was actively exploited in the wild. [xlite_meta score:72 src:SANS ISC xlite_fp:b811a697d8e8ef962ac5b77c1269ff4e79f3e4f271302acd70950196d560ddf7]
All References (2)
Quick Facts
Known Threat Actors
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2025-31161 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
- !CISA KEV: Federal agencies must patch per BOD 22-01 timeline
- !Active exploitation confirmed — treat as P1