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Threats / RARLAB / CVE-2025-6218
CVE-2025-6218 · EUVD no mirror located · GCVE no mirror located Verified 2026-06-22

RARLAB WinRAR vulnerability

WinRAR contains a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with user privileges. The flaw has been exploited in the wild.

Verdict

Today item — known-exploited.

A path traversal flaw in WinRAR enables code execution in the user context. Active exploitation in the wild combined with low EPSS score suggests targeted rather than widespread attacks. Immediate patching is critical for affected systems.

CISA KEV Yes · 2025-12-093EPSS 0.81491 (verify live)4Exploit Public PoC5
01

Is it exploitable?

— the evidence, ranked above the score
Exploit available
Public proof-of-concept exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
20 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2025-12-09).
CISA KEV ↗Confirmed
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.81491 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: RARLAB, WinRAR. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
NVD ↗Reported
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-22 Path Traversal — weakness family: Path traversal / file.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
NVD ↗Reported
WeaknessCWE-22 · Path TraversalPath traversal / file
02

Who’s exploiting it?

— attribution turns risk into urgency
Attribution not established

No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.

03

Why it matters

— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board
1

Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1

Attacker
I craft a malicious archive that exploits the path traversal to place executable code outside the intended extraction directory.
Business
User systems running WinRAR become compromised when processing untrusted archive files, risking data theft and lateral movement.
2

Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2

Attacker
I deliver the weaponized archive via email or file-sharing platforms to target users.
Business
Organizational endpoints are exposed to remote code execution through routine file handling workflows.
3

Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3

Attacker
Upon extraction, my payload executes with the privileges of the user running WinRAR.
Business
Attackers gain persistent access to user accounts and can escalate to compromise network resources and sensitive data.
04

What to do

— defensible action
  • Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05

Coverage & confidence

— what we know, and what we don’t

Established (cited)

  • KEV listing (CISA)
  • EPSS probability (FIRST)
  • Public PoC available (VulnCheck)
  • 20 reported-exploitation source(s)
  • CWE weakness mapping (NVD)
  • Public exploit availability
  • Catalogued by zdi (CNA)
  • Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden

  • No EUVD / GCVE mirror in feed — single-authority dependency for the identifier.
  • EPSS & exposure are time-varying; verify live at the source.
  • Threat-actor attribution not established from feed data — absence of a name is not absence of compromise.
  • No finder/reporter credit recorded in the public CVE entry — the work behind this find is unattributed.
  • Disclosure & credit2
    Catalogued by zdiCNA
    Credited with finding itNo finder named in the public CVE record — the work behind this find is unattributed.