How severe is CVE-2020-23361?

CVE-2020-23361 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-2020-23361 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (65th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-23361?

CVE-2020-23361 affects Phplist. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-23361?

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-2020-23361 published?

CVE-2020-23361 was published on 2021-01-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-23361

CVE-2020-23361 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.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (65th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Phplist
Published: 2021-01-27
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

phpList 3.5.3 allows type juggling for login bypass because == is used instead of === for password hashes, which mishandles hashes that begin with 0e followed by exclusively numerical characters.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-23361?: phpList 3.5.3 allows type juggling for login bypass because == is used instead of === for password hashes, which mishandles hashes that begin with 0e followed by exclusively numerical characters.
How severe is CVE-2020-23361?: CVE-2020-23361 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-2020-23361 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (65th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-23361?: CVE-2020-23361 affects Phplist. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-23361?: 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-2020-23361 published?: CVE-2020-23361 was published on 2021-01-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://github.com/phpList/phplist3/issues/668

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:phplist:phplist:3.5.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Phplist

CVE-2020-22249 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Remote Code Execution vulnerability in phplist 3.5.1. The application does not check any file extensions stored in the…
CVE-2021-3188 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): phpList 3.6.0 allows CSV injection, related to the email parameter, and /lists/admin/ exports.
CVE-2020-8547 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): phpList 3.5.0 allows type juggling for admin login bypass because == is used instead of === for password hashes, which…
CVE-2020-15072 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in phpList through 3.5.4. An error-based SQL Injection vulnerability exists via the Import…
CVE-2012-2740 — High (CVSS 7.5): SQL injection vulnerability in public_html/lists/admin in phpList before 2.10.18 allows remote attackers to execute…
CVE-2012-3953 — High (CVSS 7.5): SQL injection vulnerability in admin/index.php in phpList before 2.10.19 allows remote administrators to execute…

All CVEs affecting Phplist →