WinRAR ACE archive path traversal arbitrary file write
CVE-2018-20250 is a path traversal vulnerability in WinRAR prior to and including version 5.61 in its handling of ACE archives via UNACEV2.dll. By crafting the ACE filename field with specific traversal or absolute-path patterns, an attacker can cause WinRAR to ignore the user-selected extraction directory and write extracted files to arbitrary filesystem locations. In practical exploitation, malicious archives have been used to drop payloads into autostart locations such as the Windows Startup folder or application-specific load paths such as Microsoft Word’s add-in directory, resulting in execution of attacker-controlled code when the user logs in or launches the affected application.
Are you exposed to this one?
Mallory correlates every CVE against your assets, your vendors, and active adversary campaigns. Know which vulnerabilities matter for you, not just which ones are loud.
Impact, mitigation & remediation
What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.
Impact
What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.
Mitigation
If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.
Remediation
Patch, then assume compromise.
Exploits
1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos (2 hidden).
This repository provides a Python exploit script (exp.py) that generates a malicious RAR archive designed to exploit a path traversal/code execution vulnerability in WinRAR (as described in Check Point's research). The script takes an attacker-supplied executable (e.g., calc.exe) and crafts a RAR file (test.rar) that, when extracted by a victim using a vulnerable version of WinRAR, will drop the executable into the victim's Windows Startup folder (C:\C:C:../AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs/Startup/hi.exe). This ensures the payload will execute on the next system reboot. The archive also contains decoy files (hello.txt, world.txt) to appear innocuous. The exploit requires the attacker to provide the payload and specify the target path. The repository consists of the main exploit script (exp.py), two decoy text files, and a README.md with usage instructions and background. No network endpoints are involved; the attack vector is local, relying on user interaction with the malicious archive.
Affected products & vendors
Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.
Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.
Recent activity
12 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
A previously exploited archive path traversal vulnerability referenced as an earlier example of Gamaredon using similar WinRAR-based path traversal tradecraft.
난수 또는 nonce 생성 오류와 관련된 과거 취약점의 예시로 언급된다.
A WinRAR vulnerability exploited via malicious archive attachments delivered through spear-phishing to gain initial access.
A vulnerability in WinRAR that was exploited in a targeted attack, according to the content.
The version that knows your environment.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.