CVE-2020-28948
HIGHCVE-2020-28948 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in pear/archive_tar. 5 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2020-28948 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Multiple vulnerabilities through filename manipulation in Archive_Tar
Blast Radius
pear/archive_tarReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Archive_Tar through 1.4.10 allows an unserialization attack because phar: is blocked but PHAR: is not blocked.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | pear/archive_tar | all versions | 1.4.11 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for pear/archive_tar. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update pear/archive_tar to 1.4.11 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-28948 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2020-28948 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2020-28948. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-28948 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2020-28948 across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.