CVE-2023-38831
RARLAB WinRAR Code Execution Vulnerability - [Actively Exploited]
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.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 23, 2023, 5:15 p.m.
Last Modified :
Dec. 20, 2024, 5:50 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)
For the benefit of the cybersecurity community and network defenders—and to help every organization better manage vulnerabilities and keep pace with threat activity—CISA maintains the authoritative source of vulnerabilities that have been exploited in the wild.
RARLAB WinRAR contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows an attacker to execute code when a user attempts to view a benign file within a ZIP archive.
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
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 |
Solution
- Upgrade to WinRAR version 6.23 or later.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github
CVE-2023-38831 has a 141 public
PoC/Exploit available at Github.
Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2023-38831.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2023-38831 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2023-38831
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
None
护网2024-POC收录备份
This project demonstrates a simulated exploitation of the WinRAR vulnerability CVE-2023-38831 to execute a reverse shell. The purpose of this task was to showcase how attackers can weaponize compressed archive files to gain remote access to a target machine.
None
Python
None
备份的漏洞库，3月开始我们来维护
None
CVE POC repo 자동 수집기
Python
My Cybersecurity learning journey containing labs and practical activities from the best resources available online
None
A Collection of scripts for CVEs Labs to build the lab automatically on your local machine
Shell Batchfile
A Collection of scripts for CVEs Labs to build the lab automatically on your local machine
Shell Batchfile
None
Batchfile
None
HTML
None
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2023-38831 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
-
CybersecurityNews
UAC‑0099 Tactics, Techniques, Procedures and Attack Methods Unveiled
UAC‑0099, a sophisticated threat actor group that has been active since at least 2022, continues to pose a significant cybersecurity threat through its evolving cyber-espionage campaigns targeting Ukr ... Read more
-
The Register
Russia's RomCom among those exploiting a WinRAR 0-day in highly-targeted attacks
Russia-linked attackers found and exploited a high-severity WinRAR vulnerability before the maintainers of the Windows file archiver issued a fix. The bug, tracked as CVE-2025-8088, is a path-traversa ... Read more
-
The Hacker News
WinRAR Zero-Day Under Active Exploitation – Update to Latest Version Immediately
The maintainers of the WinRAR file archiving utility have released an update to address an actively exploited zero-day vulnerability. Tracked as CVE-2025-8088 (CVSS score: 8.8), the issue has been des ... Read more
-
Daily CyberSecurity
WinRAR Update: Zero-Day Path Traversal Flaw (CVE-2025-8088) Actively Exploited to Deliver Malware
Security researchers at ESET have uncovered a zero-day path traversal vulnerability in the Windows version of WinRAR that has been actively exploited to execute arbitrary code on victims’ systems. Tra ... Read more
-
Daily CyberSecurity
CERT-UA Exposes UAC-0099: New Backdoor Toolkit Targets Ukraine’s Defense with Phishing & Stealthy Malware
In a concerning escalation of cyber aggression, Ukraine’s National Cyber Security Incidents Response Team (CERT-UA) has uncovered a sophisticated new campaign by the threat group UAC-0099 targeting go ... Read more
-
The Hacker News
CERT-UA Warns of HTA-Delivered C# Malware Attacks Using Court Summons Lures
Aug 06, 2025Ravie LakshmananCyber Espionage / Malware The Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA) has warned of cyber attacks carried out by a threat actor called UAC-0099 targeting go ... Read more
-
CybersecurityNews
Fancy Bear Hackers Attacking Governments, Military Entities With New Sophisticated Tools
The notorious Russian cyberespionage group Fancy Bear, also known as APT28, has intensified its operations against governments and military entities worldwide using an arsenal of sophisticated new too ... Read more
-
Daily CyberSecurity
CVE-2025-6218: WinRAR Directory Traversal Bug Opens the Door to Remote Code Execution
A newly disclosed vulnerability in RARLAB’s WinRAR, the long-standing compression utility for Windows, has exposed millions of users to a severe directory traversal flaw that could lead to remote code ... Read more
-
Daily CyberSecurity
Kaspersky Report Reveals Growing Threat from Old Exploits and OS Vulnerabilities in Q1 2025
Kaspersky’s latest “Exploits and vulnerabilities in Q1 2025” shows that attackers are doubling down on aging exploits, platform-specific weaknesses, and mismanaged updates. With over 9,700 vulnerabili ... Read more
-
Kaspersky
Exploits and vulnerabilities in Q1 2025
The first quarter of 2025 saw the continued publication of vulnerabilities discovered and fixed in 2024, as some researchers were previously unable to disclose the details. This partially shifted the ... Read more
-
The Cyber Express
Ukraine Reports 48% Jump in Cyber Incidents in H2 2024, but 77% Drop in High-Severity Incidents
In Ukraine, cyber warfare is no longer just code and servers. It’s frontline infrastructure, psychological warfare, and kinetic attacks rolled into one. According to the Computer Emergency Response Te ... Read more
-
Kaspersky
Protecting against attacks in ZIP, RAR, CAB, MSI, ISO and other archives | Kaspersky official blog
Archiving programs designed to simplify file storage and transfers have become common tools not only for users but also for attackers. Malicious archives are regularly found in both targeted attacks a ... Read more
-
Help Net Security
WinRAR MotW bypass flaw fixed, update ASAP (CVE-2025-31334)
WinRAR users, upgrade your software as soon as possible: a vulnerability (CVE-2025-31334) that could allow attackers to bypass Windows’ Mark of the Web (MotW) security warning and execute arbitrary co ... Read more
-
Cyber Security News
WinRAR “Mark of the Web” Bypass Vulnerability Let Attackers Arbitrary Code
A newly disclosed vulnerability in WinRAR allows attackers to bypass a core Windows security mechanism, enabling arbitrary code execution on affected systems. Tracked as CVE-2025-31334, this flaw impa ... Read more
-
Daily CyberSecurity
CVE-2025-31334: WinRAR Flaw Enables Mark-of-the-Web Bypass and Arbitrary Code Execution
A newly disclosed vulnerability in WinRAR, the world’s most widely used file compression tool with over 500 million users, may allow attackers to sneak past Windows security warnings and execute malic ... Read more
-
Kaspersky
Exploits and vulnerabilities in Q4 2024
Q4 2024 saw fewer published exploits for Windows and Linux compared to the first three quarters. Although the number of registered vulnerabilities continued to rise, the total number of Proof of Conce ... Read more
-
The Register
Malware variants that target operational tech systems are very rare – but 2 were found last year
Two new malware variants specifically designed to disrupt critical industrial processes were set loose on operational technology networks last year, shutting off heat to more than 600 apartment buildi ... Read more
-
BleepingComputer
Russian cyber spies hide behind other hackers to target Ukraine
Russian cyber-espionage group Turla, aka "Secret Blizzard," is utilizing other threat actors' infrastructure to target Ukrainian military devices connected via Starlink. Microsoft and Lumen recently e ... Read more
-
BleepingComputer
Russian Turla hackers hit Starlink-connected devices in Ukraine
Russian cyber-espionage group Turla, aka "Secret Blizzard," is utilizing other threat actors' infrastructure to target Ukrainian military devices connected via Starlink. Microsoft and Lumen recently e ... Read more
-
The Cyber Express
Head Mare Targets Russian Orgs with Hidden LNK Files, Ransomware
Cyble researchers have detected a new campaign targeting Russia by the hacktivist group Head Mare that uses a disguised LNK file to hide an executable. The campaign is also noteworthy for its ability ... Read more
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2023-38831 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Modified Analysis by [email protected]
Dec. 20, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Reference Type https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 Issue Tracking Changed Reference Type https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 Issue Tracking Changed Reference Type https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/ Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory Changed Reference Type https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/ Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory Changed Reference Type https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/ Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory Changed Reference Type https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/ Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory -
CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
Nov. 21, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.html Added Reference https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/ Added Reference https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 Added Reference https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/ Added Reference https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/ -
Modified Analysis by [email protected]
Aug. 14, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Removed CWE NIST NVD-CWE-noinfo Added CWE NIST CWE-345 -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jul. 03, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CWE CISA-ADP CWE-351 Added CVSS V3.1 CISA-ADP AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H -
Modified Analysis by [email protected]
Jun. 27, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Reference Type http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.html No Types Assigned http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry Changed Reference Type https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/ No Types Assigned https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
May. 14, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Oct. 23, 2023
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Description RARLabs 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. 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. -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Oct. 19, 2023
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Description RARLabs 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 August 2023. RARLabs 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. Added Reference https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/ [No Types Assigned] -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Sep. 08, 2023
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.html [No Types Assigned] -
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Aug. 29, 2023
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 NIST AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Changed Reference Type https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 No Types Assigned https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory Changed Reference Type https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/ No Types Assigned https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory Changed Reference Type https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/ No Types Assigned https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory Added CWE NIST NVD-CWE-noinfo Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:rarlab:winrar:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 6.23 -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Aug. 23, 2023
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 [No Types Assigned]
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 7.8
Exploit Prediction
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days.
93.58 }} -0.09%
score
0.99827
percentile