ComSndFTP FTP Server version 1.3.7 Beta contains a format string vulnerability in its handling of the USER command. By sending a specially crafted username containing format specifiers, a remote attacker can overwrite a hardcoded function pointer in memory (specifically WSACleanup from Ws2_32.dll). This allows the attacker to redirect execution flow and bypass DEP protections using a ROP chain, ultimately leading to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability is exploitable without authentication and affects default configurations.
The product uses a function that accepts a format string as an argument, but the format string originates from an external source.
When an attacker can modify an externally-controlled format string, this can lead to buffer overflows, denial of service, or data representation problems. It should be noted that in some circumstances, such as internationalization, the set of format strings is externally controlled by design. If the source of these format strings is trusted (e.g. only contained in library files that are only modifiable by the system administrator), then the external control might not itself pose a vulnerability.