CVEs / CVE-2018-20250
CVE-2018-20250: WinRAR Absolute Path Traversal Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 15 Feb 2022
- high 7.8 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
- EPSS 96% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
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Summary
WinRAR Absolute Path Traversal vulnerability leads to Remote Code Execution
Description
In WinRAR versions prior to and including 5.61, There is path traversal vulnerability when crafting the filename field of the ACE format (in UNACEV2.dll). When the filename field is manipulated with specific patterns, the destination (extraction) folder is ignored, thus treating the filename as an absolute path.
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. WinRAR | All versions prior and including 5.61 | — |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 15 Feb 2022 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 15 Aug 2022 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Known |
| Required action | Apply updates per vendor instructions. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 highCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by NVD |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-36, CWE-22 |
References
- CVE-2018-20250 on NVD
- CVE-2018-20250 in the CISA KEV catalog
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/152618/RARLAB-WinRAR-ACE-Format-Input-Validation-Remote-Code-Execution.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/windows/fileformat/winrar_ace Third Party Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106948 Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://github.com/blau72/CVE-2018-20250-WinRAR-ACE Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- https://research.checkpoint.com/extracting-code-execution-from-winrar/ Exploit, Press/Media Coverage, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46552/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46756/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://www.win-rar.com/whatsnew.html Release Notes
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-20250 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.