How severe is CVE-2020-22249?

CVE-2020-22249 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-22249 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-22249?

CVE-2020-22249 affects Phplist. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-22249?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-22249 published?

CVE-2020-22249 was published on 2021-07-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-22249

CVE-2020-22249 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Phplist with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-434.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (85th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-434
Affected product: Phplist
Published: 2021-07-06
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Remote Code Execution vulnerability in phplist 3.5.1. The application does not check any file extensions stored in the plugin zip file, Uploading a malicious plugin which contains the php files with extensions like PHP,phtml,php7 will be copied to the plugins directory which would lead to the remote code execution

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-22249?: Remote Code Execution vulnerability in phplist 3.5.1. The application does not check any file extensions stored in the plugin zip file, Uploading a malicious plugin which contains the php files with extensions like PHP,phtml,php7 will be copied to the plugins directory which would lead to the remote code execution
How severe is CVE-2020-22249?: CVE-2020-22249 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-22249 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-22249?: CVE-2020-22249 affects Phplist. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-22249?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-22249 published?: CVE-2020-22249 was published on 2021-07-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1znDU4fDKA_seg16mJLLtgaaFfvmf-mS6

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:phplist:phplist:3.5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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