Cyber Resilience

CVE-2020-15148

RCE in Yiiframework Yii ≤ 2.0.38

Published
15 September 2020
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.9
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.79 99.5th percentile
Risk Priority 85 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2020-15148 is a high-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502) vulnerability in Yiiframework Yii. Its CVSS base score is 8.9 (High).

Operationally, ranked in the top 0.5% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Yii 2 (yiisoft/yii2) before version 2.0.38 is vulnerable to remote code execution if the application calls `unserialize()` on arbitrary user input. This is fixed in version 2.0.38. A possible workaround without upgrading is available in the linked advisory.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI

Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.

T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Executionconfidence: HIGH
Unserialize on attacker-controlled input directly enables client-side code execution via a crafted serialized object.
T1055 Process Injection Stealthconfidence: MEDIUM
PHP object injection via unserialize can lead to process memory manipulation or arbitrary code paths, facilitating process injection.
inferred from description + CWE · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-47130Same product: Yiiframework Yii
CVE-2025-2689Same product: Yiiframework Yii
CVE-2025-2690Same product: Yiiframework Yii
CVE-2024-4990Same product: Yiiframework Yii
CVE-2025-32027Same product: Yiiframework Yii
CVE-2023-26750Same product: Yiiframework Yii
CVE-2024-32877Same product: Yiiframework Yii
CVE-2024-58136Same product: Yiiframework Yii
CVE-2023-50708Same vendor: Yiiframework
CVE-2025-48493Same vendor: Yiiframework

Affected Assets

yiiframework
yii
≤ 2.0.38

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-502

Penetration testing supplies malicious serialized objects, detecting unsafe deserialization and supporting corrective actions.

addresses: CWE-502

Evaluation of untrusted data handling (deserialization testing) reveals unsafe processing, which the required remediation process addresses.

addresses: CWE-502

Untrusted serialized data can be deserialized and observed inside the chamber, blocking gadget-chain exploitation outside the sandbox.

addresses: CWE-502

Validates or rejects untrusted serialized data before deserialization occurs.

addresses: CWE-502

Identifies and blocks malicious code introduced through deserialization of untrusted data at system boundaries.

addresses: CWE-502

Integrity verification of serialized information can detect tampering before deserialization occurs.

addresses: CWE-502

Provenance of associated data allows detection of untrusted sources before deserialization or processing occurs.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-02 none match
prevents

PR.PS-02 addresses only post-deployment updates/patching and cannot prevent introduction of unsafe deserialization code, yet it can remediate some instances when the flaw exists in outdated libraries or components.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

detects

Security testing includes validation of deserialization routines and the use of untrusted data, reducing the likelihood that unsafe object reconstruction will be deployed.

prevents

Requiring vetted libraries, regular updates and SAST before release reduces the likelihood that deserialization logic will accept and act on attacker-controlled serialized objects.

detects

Regular scanning of third-party libraries and timely patching reduce the likelihood that unsafe deserialization vulnerabilities remain active.

none

Mandatory malware scanning of data received over networks or storage media intercepts malicious serialized payloads before they are deserialized by the target application.

References