Security Digest · Vulnerability record · Known exploited
CVE-2025-6218: RARLAB WinRAR Path Traversal Vulnerability
Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV). RARLAB WinRAR Directory Traversal Remote Code Execution Vulnerability.
CISA KEV · added 2025-12-09 CVSS 7.8 High EPSS 90.5% · p99.8
Should you act?
Exploited: patch now if you run it
CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Yes, if you run RARLAB WinRAR. CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-12-09, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2025-12-30; treat that as the outer limit, not the target.
- EPSS 90.5%, percentile 99.8: FIRST’s model estimates a 90.5% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 99.8% of all scored CVEs (very high). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs local access needed. Lower urgency for most teams unless an attacker could already run code on the machine.
What it is
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.
CISA’s summary
RARLAB WinRAR contains a path traversal vulnerability allowing an attacker to execute code in the context of the current user.
Weakness type: CWE-22.
Product: RARLAB WinRAR · Assigned by: zdi · Published: 2025-06-21
Affected and fixed versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| RARLAB | WinRAR | 7.11 (64-bit) |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| zdi | 3.0 | 7.8 High | CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: local access needed
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: required (a user must click/open something)
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: added 2025-12-09; federal due date 2025-12-30. Known ransomware use: Unknown.
- CISA required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 90.48% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 99.8.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by zdi
- — Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- — CISA remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vendor and project advisories, patches
- vendor-provided URL win-rar.com
- Listed in CISA KEV notes (win-rar.com) win-rar.com
Vulnerability records
- CVE.org record CVE-2025-6218 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2025-6218 nvd.nist.gov
Government
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- ZDI-25-409 zerodayinitiative.com
- secpod.com secpod.com
- foresiet.com foresiet.com
All exploited RARLAB vulnerabilities · Today’s Security Digest