CVE-2020-28949
CVE-2020-28949 is a high-severity vulnerability in Php Archive Tar with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2022-08-25).
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
- CVSS v2: 6.8
- EPSS exploit prediction: 85% (100th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2022-08-25)
- EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2021-0783
- EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2022-08-25)
- Affected product: Php Archive Tar
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Archive_Tar through 1.4.10 has :// filename sanitization only to address phar attacks, and thus any other stream-wrapper attack (such as file:// to overwrite files) can still succeed.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2020-28949?
- Archive_Tar through 1.4.10 has :// filename sanitization only to address phar attacks, and thus any other stream-wrapper attack (such as file:// to overwrite files) can still succeed.
- How severe is CVE-2020-28949?
- CVE-2020-28949 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2020-28949 being actively exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2020-28949 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2022-08-25, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
- What products are affected by CVE-2020-28949?
- CVE-2020-28949 primarily affects Php Archive Tar. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2020-28949?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
- Does CVE-2020-28949 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
- Yes. CVE-2020-28949 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2021-0783. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2022-08-25).
- When was CVE-2020-28949 published?
- CVE-2020-28949 was published on 2020-11-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/161095/PEAR-Archive_Tar-Arbitrary-File-Write.html
- https://github.com/pear/Archive_Tar/issues/33
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/11/msg00045.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/42GPGVVFTLJYAKRI75IVB5R45NYQGEUR/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/4V35LBRM6HBCXBVCITKQ4UEBTXO2EG7B/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/5KSFM672XW3X6BR7TVKRD63SLZGKK437/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/KWM4CTMEGAC4I2CHYNJVSROY4CVXVEUT/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/NBYZSHYTIOBK6V7C4N7TP6KIKCRKLVWP/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/VJQQYDAOWHD6RDITDRPHFW7WY6BS3V5N/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-23
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4817
- https://www.drupal.org/sa-core-2020-013
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-28949
Affected products (8)
- cpe:2.3:a:php:archive_tar:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:35:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
More vulnerabilities in Php Archive Tar
- CVE-2020-28948 — High (CVSS 7.8): Archive_Tar through 1.4.10 allows an unserialization attack because phar: is blocked but PHAR: is not blocked.
- CVE-2020-36193 — High (CVSS 7.5): Tar.php in Archive_Tar through 1.4.11 allows write operations with Directory Traversal due to inadequate checking of…
- CVE-2021-32610 — High (CVSS 7.1): In Archive_Tar before 1.4.14, symlinks can refer to targets outside of the extracted archive, a different vulnerability…