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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2018-20250 RARLAB CVE debrief

CVE-2018-20250 is a WinRAR absolute path traversal issue that CISA has included in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The supplied metadata also marks it as associated with known ransomware campaign use, so defenders should treat it as a high-priority remediation item. The record dates supplied here reflect publication and KEV entry on 2022-02-15; they should not be confused with the original vulnerability introduction date.

Vendor
RARLAB
Product
WinRAR
CVSS
HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV
Listed
Original CVE published
2022-02-15
Original CVE updated
2022-02-15
Advisory published
2022-02-15
Advisory updated
2022-02-15

Who should care

Organizations that use WinRAR on Windows endpoints, servers, or user workstations; security teams responsible for vulnerability remediation; and incident responders watching for archive-based delivery paths used in ransomware activity.

Technical summary

The vulnerability is identified as an absolute path traversal problem in WinRAR. In practical defensive terms, that means a crafted archive can attempt to direct extraction outside the intended destination path. CISA’s KEV entry indicates the issue is known to be exploited in the wild, and the supplied enrichment marks known ransomware campaign use. No exploit procedure or reproduction details are included here.

Defensive priority

Urgent. KEV inclusion plus ransomware association makes this a top remediation target for any environment that still runs affected WinRAR versions.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply updates per vendor instructions as directed by CISA KEV guidance.
  • Inventory systems with WinRAR installed and confirm patch status.
  • Prioritize internet-facing, high-value, and user-workstation assets for immediate remediation.
  • Review endpoint and email security controls for archive-handling detections and suspicious extraction behavior.
  • If remediation cannot be immediate, restrict use of WinRAR on exposed or high-risk systems and monitor for abnormal archive extraction activity.

Evidence notes

All statements are based on the supplied CVE record metadata, CISA KEV source item, and official resource links. The record identifies the product as RARLAB WinRAR, the issue as an absolute path traversal vulnerability, and the KEV fields as known exploited with known ransomware campaign use. The only dates supplied are publication/modified dates of 2022-02-15, which are used here as record timing context only.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2018-20250 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-20250

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2018-20250 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-20250

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

  • CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog

    Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency - Official CISA catalog of vulnerabilities known to be exploited in the wild.

Supplemental references

  • Source item URL

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json

    cisa_kev

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.