Skip to content
Weekly Signal
Live intelligence Updated 20 Aug 2026 · 23:28 UTC

Debian, Drupal, Fedoraproject +2 more · Debian Linux, Drupal, Fedora +2 more

CVE-2020-36193

PEAR Archive_Tar Improper Link Resolution Vulnerability

Recommended action

Validate affected assets and exposure now, then remediate on an accelerated schedule. Debian Security advisory Dsa 4894

View response plan
CVSS7.5
EPSS70.6%
KEVYes
ExploitationConfirmed exploitation
RemediationExplicit patch identified ↓

Assessment

Why it matters

CISA lists this vulnerability as known to be exploited; exploitation is confirmed; EPSS is 70.6%; technical severity is CVSS 7.5.

Tar.php in Archive_Tar through 1.4.11 allows write operations with Directory Traversal due to inadequate checking of symbolic links, a related issue to CVE-2020-28948.

Who should care

  • Teams operating Debian Linux, Drupal, Fedora +2 more
  • Vulnerability and exposure management teams
  • Security operations teams monitoring exploitation activity

Response plan

What I would do

  1. Confirm whether Debian Linux, Drupal, Fedora +2 more is present in the environment.
  2. Identify affected versions and establish whether vulnerable services are exposed or reachable.
  3. Debian Security advisory Dsa 4894
  4. Review relevant security telemetry for evidence of attempted or successful exploitation.
  5. Document the remediation decision and track it to verified completion.

Treatment intelligence

Remediation intelligence

Not yet verified

Vendor sources are listed before government and third-party guidance. Confirm product applicability and change prerequisites before deployment.

Verification noteAutomated link verification has not completed for this guidance yet.

Patch

Advisory

Required Action

Technical details

CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
CWE
CWE-22
Affected versions
Debian Debian Linux (Version 9.0 | Version 10.0); Drupal Drupal (Start Including 7.0, End Excluding 7.78 | Start Including 8.9.0, End Excluding 8.9.13 | Start Including 9.0.0, End Excluding 9.0.11 | Start Including 9.1.0, End Excluding 9.1.3); Fedoraproject Fedora (Version 32 | Version 33 | Version 34 | Version 35); PEAR Archive_Tar; PHP Archive Tar (End Including 1.4.11)
Fixed versions
Drupal Drupal (Fixed from 7.78, 8.9.13, 9.0.11, 9.1.3)
Published
18 January 2021
Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None

Signal timeline

  1. CVE published
  2. Added to CISA KEV
  3. Latest EPSS score: 70.6%
  4. Signal calculated at 79

External references

Live public intelligence This assessment combines public-source evidence. Validate the affected product, version and exposure against your own environment before making a risk decision.