What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-28948?

CVE-2020-28948 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 47.5%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2020-28948?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2020-28948. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 47.5%.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2020-28948?

Yes, a patch is available for CVE-2020-28948. Update the affected software to the latest version immediately.

Debian Linux CVE-2020-28948

HIGH

Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502)

2020-11-19 cve@mitre.org

PHP Deserialization Debian Drupal Debian Linux Fedora Archive Tar Fedoraproject

7.8

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-502 OWASP Top 10:2025 A08:2025 - Software or Data Integrity Failures ASVS 5.0 V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Safe deserialization, type allowlists MITRE ATT&CK 2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Initial Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. Sign in to read
Impact	CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required. Public proof-of-concept exploit code is available.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	A local attacker with access to the system could execute arbitrary code through malicious serialized objects. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity + EPSS > 10%.

Patch available 47.5% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

Archive_Tar through 1.4.10 allows an unserialization attack because phar: is blocked but PHAR: is not blocked. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Avoid deserializing untrusted data. Use safe serialization formats (JSON). Implement integrity checks and type allowlists.

Affected Packages

composer drupal/core fix: 8.8.12, 8.9.10, 9.0.9

composer pear/archive_tar fix: 1.4.11

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 2 packages in composer

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502), which allows attackers to execute arbitrary code through malicious serialized objects. Archive_Tar through 1.4.10 allows an unserialization attack because phar: is blocked but PHAR: is not blocked. Affected products include: Php Archive Tar, Debian Debian Linux, Fedoraproject Fedora, Drupal. Version information: through 1.4.10.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH

AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

DescriptionNVD

Archive_Tar through 1.4.10 allows an unserialization attack because phar: is blocked but PHAR: is not blocked.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

47.5%

Top 1% exploitable

Exploit

POC

Public exploit code exists

Data Quality

3 sources

Confidence: Low

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

GitHub

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity HIGH

CISA KEV No

Public POC Yes

EPSS 47.5%

Patch available Yes

Active threat Yes

Deciding rule

HIGH severity + EPSS > 10%

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Scheduled

Exploitation· derived

Poc

System Exposure· derived

Small

Automatable· derived

Human Impact· derived

Medium

Priority Score

106

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: +47

CVSS: +39

PoC: +20

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Insecure Deserialization CRITICAL

Insecure deserialization occurs when an application converts serialized data (a stream of bytes representing an object's state) back into a living object without proper validation.