CVE-2023-38831
rarlab winrar
Published 23 Aug 2023 · updated 5 Aug 2026 · Analyzed
Exploited in the wild
CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 24 Aug 2023, with a remediation deadline of 14 Sept 2023 for US federal agencies. It has been used in ransomware campaigns.
Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Description
RARLAB WinRAR before 6.23 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code when a user attempts to view a benign file within a ZIP archive. The issue occurs because a ZIP archive may include a benign file (such as an ordinary .JPG file) and also a folder that has the same name as the benign file, and the contents of the folder (which may include executable content) are processed during an attempt to access only the benign file. This was exploited in the wild in April through October 2023.
References
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.html · Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/ · Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 · Issue Tracking
- www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/ · Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory
- www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/ · Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-38831 · US Government Resource