CVE-2020-13664

Arbitrary PHP code execution vulnerability in Drupal Core under certain circumstances. An attacker could trick an administrator into visiting a malicious site that could result in creating a carefully named directory on the file system. With this directory in place, an attacker could attempt to brute force a remote code execution vulnerability. Windows servers are most likely to be affected. This issue affects: Drupal Drupal Core 8.8.x versions prior to 8.8.8; 8.9.x versions prior to 8.9.1; 9.0.1 versions prior to 9.0.1.

Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command. Typical impact: arbitrary command execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2020-13664 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (8.8.8, 8.9.1, 9.0.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2020-13664? CVE-2020-13664 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in drupal/core (composer), affecting versions >= 8.8.0, < 8.8.8. It is fixed in 8.8.8, 8.9.1, 9.0.1. Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command.
2. How severe is CVE-2020-13664? CVE-2020-13664 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2020-13664?
   • drupal/core (composer) (versions >= 8.8.0, < 8.8.8)
   • drupal/drupal (composer) (versions >= 8.8.0, < 8.8.8)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2020-13664? Yes. CVE-2020-13664 is fixed in 8.8.8, 8.9.1, 9.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2020-13664 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-13664 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2020-13664 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2020-13664?
   • Upgrade drupal/core to 8.8.8 or later
   • Upgrade drupal/core to 8.9.1 or later
   • Upgrade drupal/core to 9.0.1 or later
   • Upgrade drupal/drupal to 8.8.8 or later
   • Upgrade drupal/drupal to 8.9.1 or later
   • Upgrade drupal/drupal to 9.0.1 or later