Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Evidence dossier
CVE-2023-38831
CVE-2023-38831
gen-56ccdaf9Normalized restatement
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.
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Published
- Aug 23, 2023
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2025
- Evidence coverage
- 85%
2026-07-18 · v2026.06.15 · percentile 99.9%
Distinct CVSS assessments remain side by side; none are averaged.
Source comparison
Who said what
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.
RARLAB WinRAR Code Execution Vulnerability
Probability 0.977980000000; percentile 0.998990000000
Applicability
Cited product scope
[{"status": "affected", "version": "n/a"}]unknown[{"status": "affected", "version": "0", "lessThan": "6.23", "versionType": "semver"}]unknowncpe:2.3:a:rarlab:winrar:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*; end excluding 6.23supportedAssessments
CVSS by origin
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HLimitations and unknowns
- KEV membership is authoritative for the catalog, not proof of exposure in any environment.
- EPSS is a dated model probability and not an individual-environment prediction.
- Affected or fixed status applies only to the exact cited product and version scope; unresolved scope remains unknown.
- NVD-carried upstream facts remain derivative and are not independent corroboration.
- Only NVD metrics validated under the generation-bound calculator are Public Priority eligible; direct CVE record metrics remain display-only.
- NVD CVSS source eligibility is closed: NVD-authored, exact record-source, or registered same-CVE container origin; unmapped sources remain display-only.
- Factor D is unknown in Public Core because no accepted canonical mapping-obligation ledger is present.
- Core replay supports the active and immediately prior generation; retrospective valid-at replay is deferred.