CVE-2018-20250: WinRAR Absolute Path Traversal Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 15 Feb 2022, 1,106 days after the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 96%
EPSS score, percentile 99.9 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 7.8 High
CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record
- What should I do?
Required action (CISA), due 15 Aug 2022: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected: All versions prior and including 5.61
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA due date for this action: 15 August 2022.
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | All versions prior and including 5.61 |
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
WinRAR Absolute Path Traversal vulnerability leads to Remote Code Execution
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2018-20250 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 15 Feb 2022.
- CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 15 Aug 2022.
- The CVE record was published on 5 Feb 2019, 1,106 days before it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 96% (percentile 99.9), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Description
In WinRAR versions prior to and including 5.61, There is path traversal vulnerability when crafting the filename field of the ACE format (in UNACEV2.dll). When the filename field is manipulated with specific patterns, the destination (extraction) folder is ignored, thus treating the filename as an absolute path.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Weakness
- CWE-36: Absolute Path Traversal
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 5 Feb 2019 | CVE record published |
| 15 Feb 2022 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 15 Aug 2022 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 13 Aug 2026 | CVE record last updated |
References
More exploited RARLAB vulnerabilities
- CVE-2025-6218: RARLAB WinRAR Path Traversal Vulnerability
- CVE-2025-8088: RARLAB WinRAR Path Traversal Vulnerability
- CVE-2023-38831: RARLAB WinRAR Code Execution Vulnerability
- CVE-2022-30333: RARLAB UnRAR Directory Traversal Vulnerability