CVE-2020-28949: PEAR Archive_Tar Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability
CVE-2020-28949 · Severity: critical · CVSS 7.8 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2022-08-25
PEAR Archive_Tar through 1.4.10 fails to properly sanitize stream wrappers in filenames, allowing for deserialization of untrusted data. While it blocks the 'phar:' wrapper, it fails to account for case variations like 'PHAR:' or other wrappers like 'file:', which can lead to arbitrary file overwrites or remote code execution.
Quick answers
Is CVE-2020-28949 exploited in the wild?
Yes. CVE-2020-28949 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 25 August 2022. Treat it as urgent.
How severe is CVE-2020-28949?
Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 25 August 2022.
Which products and versions are affected?
PEAR Archive_Tar through 1.4.10.
Is there a fix for CVE-2020-28949?
No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2020-28949 attacked?
It is attacked with local access, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2020-28949?
Check whether you run PEAR Archive Tar. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.
Affected products
PEAR Archive_Tar through 1.4.10
Timeline
2020-11-17: disclosed: Initial Debian LTS advisory date (approximate based on mailing list)
2022-08-25: kev added: Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog