PEAR Archive_Tar Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

• cpe debian/debian linux10.0
• cpe debian/debian linux9.0
• cpe drupal/drupalversion unspecified
• cpe fedoraproject/fedora32
• cpe fedoraproject/fedora33
• cpe fedoraproject/fedora34
• cpe fedoraproject/fedora35
• cpe php/archive tarversion unspecified
• vendor PEAR Archive_Tarversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2020-28949

• Recommended remediation

  Apply updates per vendor instructions. CISA due date Sep 15, 2022.

• Official advisories

  • CISA KEV · cisa.gov
  • CVE.org · cve.org
  • FIRST EPSS · first.org
  • NIST NVD · nvd.nist.gov
  • Packet Storm Security · packetstormsecurity.com
  • VulnCheck KEV · vulncheck.com

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Technology hubs

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

1. Nov 19, 2020 · Catalog

   Detected

   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.

2. Aug 25, 2022 · CISA KEV

   Known exploited

   Apply updates per vendor instructions.

3. Sep 15, 2022 · CISA KEV

   Remediation due

   Apply updates per vendor instructions.

4. Jun 16, 2026 · Catalog

   Updated

   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.

Sources

• CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2020-28949

  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.

  cisa.gov
• CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2020-28949

  Official CVE identifier

  cve.org
• FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2020-28949

  30-day exploitation probability 84.6%

  first.org
• Metasploit ModulesPublic exploit moduleexploit_multi/fileformat/archive_tar_arb_file_write

  Public module reference (excellent). Module source is not copied into this catalog.

  rapid7.com
• NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-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.

  nvd.nist.gov
• Packet Storm SecurityCited referencehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/161095/PEAR-Archive_Tar-Arbitrary-File-Write.html

  Packet Storm link already published on the finding.

  packetstormsecurity.com
• VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2020-28949

  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 pro

  vulncheck.com

References

• Exploit · packetstormsecurity.com
• CISA note · access.redhat.com
• Exploit · github.com
• VulnCheck exploitation evidence · info.securin.io
• Mailing List · lists.debian.org
• Mailing List · lists.fedoraproject.org
• Mailing List · lists.fedoraproject.org
• Mailing List · lists.fedoraproject.org
• Mailing List · lists.fedoraproject.org
• CISA note · nvd.nist.gov
• CISA note · pear.php.net
• VulnCheck exploitation evidence · cisa.gov
• CISA note · drupal.org
• VulnCheck exploitation evidence · trustwave.com

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.