Vulnerability Report

CVE-2023-38831

RCE CISA KEV Active

Title: Arbitrary Code Execution in WinRAR

RCE

Proof Of Concept

PoC Available for CVE-2023-38831

CWE Category CWE-351
Published Date Aug 23, 2023
Modified Date Oct 31, 2025
Exploit Status Available
Score 7.8 CVSS v3.1
Exploit Probability (EPSS)
97.80%

Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2023-38831: 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.

Impacted Vendors

R
rarlab 1

Reference Links

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.html https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/ https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/ http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.html https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100 https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/ https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/ https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-38831
CVSS v3.1
Source Entity [email protected]
Severity HIGH
7.8
Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
N/A
Interaction
REQUIRED
Confidentiality
N/A
Integrity
N/A
Availability
N/A
Scope
UNCHANGED
RAW VECTOR CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v3.1
Source Entity 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Severity HIGH
7.8
Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
N/A
Interaction
REQUIRED
Confidentiality
N/A
Integrity
N/A
Availability
N/A
Scope
UNCHANGED
RAW VECTOR CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Associated Attack Patterns (CAPEC)

Total: Patterns

CVE-2023-38831 Exploits & PoCs (Proof Of Concept)

GitHub https://github.com/b1tg/CVE-2023-38831-winrar-exploit
View Code
GitHub https://github.com/Garck3h/cve-2023-38831
View Code
GitHub https://github.com/ignis-sec/CVE-2023-38831-RaRCE
View Code
MODIFIED

Vulnerability data or affected products updated.

PUBLISHED

Vulnerability first announced in NVD.

Attack Vector Matrix

Access Vector LOCAL
Complexity LOW
Privileges N/A
Interaction REQUIRED
CVSS Vector String CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Stack

No specific products linked.