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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.

CVSS
7.8Highscored by CISA
Exploited in the wild
Yes, in CISA KEV since 24 Aug 2023CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 14 Sept 2023known use in ransomware campaignspublic exploit code
EPSS
99.8%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 0.1% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
Fix
Not stated by the vendorno fixed release in the CVE record
Published
23 Aug 2023analysed here 12 Nov 2026

Do first. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)

Summary

Triage

Exploitable
At runtime
Attack vector
local
Weaknesses
Can a WAF block it?
No. See why

The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.

Affected products

Products named in our analysis

  • rarlab:winrar

Fix and mitigation

WAF and other mitigations

Can a WAF block it? No. The attack needs local access to the machine, so a WAF is not on its path.

Also consider: patch

Based on the attack vector (local or physical access). We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.

Remediation steps (AI-written)

Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.

Exploitation evidence

CISA KEV catalog
Listed since 24 Aug 2023. Known use in ransomware campaigns.
CISA due date
14 Sept 2023, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
CISA required action
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Public exploit code
Yes: 1 Metasploit module · 60 GitHub proofs of concept
CISA SSVC
exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 23 Aug 2023 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.

Metasploit

GitHub proofs of concept

and 56 more repositories

Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.

Timeline

  1. 23 Aug 2023CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active
  2. 23 Aug 2023Published1 day later
  3. 24 Aug 2023Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)same day later
  4. 24 Aug 2023First public exploit or proof of conceptsame day later
  5. 14 Sept 2023CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)21 days later
  6. 5 Aug 2026CVE record last updated1,056 days (about 3 years) later
  7. 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com99 days (about 3 months) later

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

MetricValueWhat it means
Attack vectorLocalLocal access required (shell, logged-in user).
Attack complexityLowRepeatable attack, no special conditions.
Privileges requiredNoneThe attacker needs no prior access.
User interactionRequiredA victim must click, open or otherwise cooperate.
ScopeUnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
ConfidentialityHighTotal data disclosure possible.
IntegrityHighComplete modification possible.
AvailabilityHighFull outage possible.

Common questions

Is CVE-2023-38831 being exploited?

Yes. CVE-2023-38831 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.

How severe is CVE-2023-38831?

CVE-2023-38831 is rated High with a CVSS score of 7.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.

Is there a patch for CVE-2023-38831?

Not known from our data. No patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2023-38831, which is not the same as no patch existing — a fix may have shipped without a tagged reference, or after this record was written. The vendor advisory is the only authority on whether a fix exists, and mitigations may be available regardless.

What does CVE-2023-38831 affect?

CVE-2023-38831 affects rarlab:winrar. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.

Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.

References

NVDCVE.orgCVE DetailsSource

6 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.

Other links (6)

Where the data on this page comes from

Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.

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