CVE-2023-38831
RARLAB WinRAR Code Execution Vulnerability
Does this matter?
Known to be exploited in the wild (CISA KEV, CISA remediation deadline 14 September 2023). Treat as an emergency change: patch or isolate now, then hunt for prior compromise.
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.
- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 99.81% probability · 100th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Listed 24 August 2023 · due 14 September 2023 · used in ransomware campaigns
- Weakness
- CWE-345, CWE-351
- Affected
- rarlab/winrar
- Source
- cve@mitre.org
EPSS moved from 99.8% on 24 September 2026 to 99.8% on 30 October 2026. The dashed line is the ten per cent mark our analysts treat as “patch before the next change window”.
CISA notes
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. http://www.win-rar.com/singlenewsview.html?&L=0&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=232&cHash=c5bf79590657e32554c6683296a8e8aa; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38831
References
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100Issue Tracking
- https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100Issue Tracking
- https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-38831US Government Resource
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.