# CVE-2023-38831: RARLAB WinRAR Code Execution Vulnerability

> CVE-2023-38831: RARLAB WinRAR Code Execution Vulnerability. CVSS 7.8 (CVSS 3.1), in CISA KEV.

Canonical: https://rewindex.com/cve/CVE-2023-38831
Last updated: 2026-08-05T03:55:55Z

- Published: 2023-08-23 00:00 UTC · Updated: 2026-08-05 03:55 UTC · Assigner: mitre
- CVSS: 7.8 (CVSS 3.1) · Severity: High · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS: 99.8%, 100th percentile (scored 2026-10-25)
- CISA KEV: yes, added 2023-08-24, federal due date 2023-09-14, ransomware use: Known

## Description

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.

## CISA required action

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

## Affected vendors and products

- rarlab: winrar

## References

- [CVE record on cve.org](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38831)
- [NVD entry](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38831)
- [http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.html](http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174573/WinRAR-Remote-Code-Execution.html)
- [https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/](https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/government-backed-actors-exploiting-winrar-vulnerability/)
- [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37236100)
- [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/winrar-zero-day-exploited-since-april-to-hack-trading-accounts/)
- [https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/](https://www.group-ib.com/blog/cve-2023-38831-winrar-zero-day/)

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_Sources: CVE records from the CVE Program (cve.org). CVE® is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. (https://www.cve.org/) This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. (https://nvd.nist.gov/) Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog from CISA. (https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog) EPSS scores from FIRST (Exploit Prediction Scoring System). (https://www.first.org/epss/)_


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Canonical: https://rewindex.com/cve/CVE-2023-38831 · Markdown: https://rewindex.com/cve/CVE-2023-38831.md · JSON: https://rewindex.com/api/v1/cves/CVE-2023-38831 · Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) · Generated 2026-10-26T03:11:48.127Z