GHSA-52qp-jpq7-6c54 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in rmccue/requests. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-52qp-jpq7-6c54 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Insecure Deserialization of untrusted data in rmccue/requests
Real-World Exposure
rmccue/requestsReal-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
Impact
Unserialization of untrusted data.
Patches
The issue has been patched and users of Requests 1.6.0, 1.6.1 and 1.7.0 should update to version 1.8.0.
References
Publications about the vulnerability:
- https://dannewitz.ninja/posts/php-unserialize-object-injection-yet-another-stars-rating-wordpress
- https://github.com/ambionics/phpggc/issues/52
- https://blog.detectify.com/2019/07/23/improving-wordpress-plugin-security/
- https://i.blackhat.com/us-18/Thu-August-9/us-18-Thomas-Its-A-PHP-Unserialization-Vulnerability-Jim-But-Not-As-We-Know-It.pdf
- https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/3853213/us-18-Thomas-It%27s-A-PHP-Unserialization-Vulnerability-Jim-But-Not-As-We-....pdf
- https://2018.zeronights.ru/wp-content/uploads/materials/9%20ZN2018%20WV%20-%20PHP%20unserialize.pdf
- https://medium.com/@knownsec404team/extend-the-attack-surface-of-php-deserialization-vulnerability-via-phar-d6455c6a1066#3c0f
Originally fixed in WordPress 5.5.2:
- https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/commit/add6bedf3a53b647d0ebda2970057912d3cd79d3
- https://wordpress.org/news/2020/10/wordpress-5-5-2-security-and-maintenance-release/
Related Security Advisories:
- https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=2020-28032
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-28032
Notification to the Requests repo including a fix in:
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in Request
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | rmccue/requests | ≥ 1.6.0&&< 1.8.0 | 1.8.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for rmccue/requests. 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 rmccue/requests to 1.8.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-52qp-jpq7-6c54 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 GHSA-52qp-jpq7-6c54 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 GHSA-52qp-jpq7-6c54. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-52qp-jpq7-6c54 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-52qp-jpq7-6c54 across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.