CVE-2021-36370Public exploitNetwork attack vector

SFTP server impersonation via unchecked host fingerprints

Published Aug 30, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Improper authentication in Midnight Commander 4.8.26 and earlier allows man-in-the-middle attackers to impersonate SFTP servers. The SFTP VFS calculates the host fingerprint with libssh2_hostkey_hash but proceeds to authentication without checking known_hosts or displaying the fingerprint. Exploitation requires an attacker able to interpose on the connection and permits undetected server impersonation and modification of SFTP traffic.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability1.99%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Improper authentication in Midnight Commander 4.8.26 and earlier allows man-in-the-middle attackers to impersonate SFTP servers. The SFTP VFS calculates the host fingerprint with libssh2_hostkey_hash but proceeds to authentication without checking known_hosts or displaying the fingerprint. Exploitation requires an attacker able to interpose on the connection and permits undetected server impersonation and modification of SFTP traffic.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-36370
Published
Aug 30, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-287, T1557
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 30, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
5.0NIST NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-287Improper Authentication
T1557Adversary-in-the-Middle

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo