Overview
PEAR Archive_Tar allows an unserialization attack because phar: is blocked but PHAR: is not blocked. PEAR stands for PHP Extension and Application Repository and it is an open-source framework and distribution system for reusable PHP components with known usage in third-party products such as Drupal Core and Red Hat Linux.
https://pear.php.net/bugs/bug.php?id=27002, https://www.drupal.org/sa-core-2020-013, https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2020-28949; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-28949
Key Details
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| CVE ID | CVE-2020-28949 |
| Vendor / Product | PEAR — Archive_Tar |
| NVD Published | 2020-11-19 |
| NVD Last Modified | 2025-11-07 |
| CVSS 3.1 Score | 7.8 |
| CVSS 3.1 Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Severity | HIGH |
| CISA KEV Added | 2022-08-25 |
| CISA KEV Deadline | 2022-09-15 |
| Known Ransomware Use | No |
CVSS 3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Required Action
CISA BOD 22-01 Deadline: 2022-09-15.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2022-08-25 | Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog |
| 2022-09-15 | CISA BOD 22-01 remediation deadline |
References
| Resource | Type |
|---|---|
| NVD — CVE-2020-28949 | Vulnerability Database |
| CISA KEV Catalog Entry | US Government |