RARLAB WinRAR Directory Traversal Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Affects Windows versions of WinRAR, RAR, UnRAR and UnRAR.dll before 7.12; Unix versions are not affected. Fixed in WinRAR 7.12. No vendor severity rating is given.
- Published
- Last modified
- Where the record stands: published, rejected by its publisher, or superseded by another id.What do these mean? →
- published
- Whether CISA lists it in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog: proof that attackers are using it.What do these mean? →
- Listed in CISA KEV
- How many real-world setups can hit the bug, from the vendor's advisory and CISA data. It does not know your setup.What do these mean? →
- Actively exploited
- Fix
- Fixed in 7.12
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
Summary
WinRAR, the widely used Windows file archiving application from RARLAB, is affected by this vulnerability. An attacker could exploit it by tricking a user into opening a malicious archive file or visiting a malicious page, allowing arbitrary code to run with the privileges of the current user.
Summarized by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5. Verify details against the original sources.
Read the original description
RARLAB WinRAR Directory Traversal Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of RARLAB WinRAR. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the handling of file paths within archive files. A crafted file path can cause the process to traverse to unintended directories. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current user. Was ZDI-CAN-27198.
Timeline
- CVE published
- Added to CISA KEV
CISA has evidence of exploitation in the wild
- CISA remediation deadline
Due date for US federal agencies to patch
- Record last updated
- EPSS reached 10%
FIRST estimates at least a 10% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Affected versions
- RARLAB WinRAR
7.11 (64-bit)
References 2
zerodayinitiative.com
Questions about CVE-2025-6218
What does this mean?
A crafted file path inside an archive can lead extraction to unintended directories. This allows arbitrary code to run in the context of the current user.Source: win-rar.com, zerodayinitiative.com
Am I affected, and how do I check?
Windows versions of WinRAR, and Windows versions of RAR, UnRAR, and UnRAR.dll, before the 7.12 update are affected. Unix versions are not affected, so check the installed version against 7.12 on Windows systems.Source: win-rar.com, zerodayinitiative.com
What should I do about it?
Update to WinRAR 7.12 or later, which is the release the sources name as the fix.Source: win-rar.com, zerodayinitiative.com
Is it being exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-12-09, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cisa.gov, cve.now feed data
Why do the sources disagree?
The description calls the vector remote, but the CVSS vector lists the attack vector as local (AV:L). The sources conflict on how the attack is delivered.Source: win-rar.com, zerodayinitiative.com