CVE-2020-8441: 
Java vulnerability analysis and mitigation

JYaml through version 1.3 contains a critical vulnerability that allows remote code execution during deserialization of malicious payloads through the load() function. The vulnerability was discovered in early 2020 and assigned CVE-2020-8441. This affects all versions of the JYaml library up to and including version 1.3. It's important to note that JYaml is a discontinued product (NIST NVD, MITRE CVE).

The vulnerability exists in the default load() function of JYaml's object deserialization mechanism. When processing YAML input, the library performs unsafe deserialization of user-supplied data without proper validation. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious YAML payload that, when deserialized using the load() function (e.g., Object object = Yaml.load(new File("object.yml"))), will execute arbitrary commands (GitHub POC, Marshalsec).

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to remote code execution on affected systems. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands in the context of the application using JYaml, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability also poses risks of information disclosure, data modification, and denial of service conditions (NetApp Advisory).

Since JYaml is a discontinued product, there are no official patches available. The primary mitigation strategy is to discontinue the use of JYaml and migrate to alternative YAML parsing libraries that implement proper deserialization controls. Organizations should also implement input validation and sanitization when processing YAML data from untrusted sources (NetApp Advisory).