If you use WinRAR, check its installed version and update it to a current release. Advisories identify versions before 7.12 as affected by CVE-2025-6218, a directory traversal flaw that can enable code execution when a user opens a malicious archive or visits a malicious page. CERT Santé reports that the vulnerability is being actively exploited.
What CVE-2025-6218 does
CVE-2025-6218 is a directory traversal vulnerability in WinRAR’s handling of archive paths. A specially crafted path can cause extraction or processing to reach outside the intended directory. Under the conditions described in the advisories, this can lead to arbitrary code execution in the current user’s context. The GitHub Advisory Database says the victim must open a malicious file or visit a malicious page; CERT Santé also identifies user interaction as necessary and says no special privileges are required. (GitHub Advisory Database; CERT Santé)
Who may be exposed, and which versions are affected?
The cited advisories identify WinRAR versions before 7.12 as affected. CERT Santé specifies versions before 7.12 Beta 1 and lists 7.12 Beta 1 or later as the fixed threshold. These are advisory thresholds, not a recommendation to install or remain on a historical beta: use WinRAR’s current vendor distribution and install a current release. (GitHub Advisory Database; CERT Santé)
Anyone with an affected version could be exposed, but exploitation is not described as automatic simply because WinRAR is installed. The cited descriptions require user interaction with malicious content. That requirement lowers the chance of a purely unattended attack, but it does not make an unpatched installation safe: opening an archive received through a message or downloaded from a site can provide the needed interaction.
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What is known about active exploitation and threat groups?
CERT Santé marks CVE-2025-6218 as actively exploited and assigns it a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8. That score is CERT Santé’s severity rating; it is not an estimate of how many people or systems have been compromised. The advisory does not quantify affected users or incidents. (CERT Santé)
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How to check and update WinRAR
- Find the installed version. Open WinRAR and select Help > About WinRAR. Read the version shown in the About window.
- Compare it with the advisory threshold. If the version is earlier than 7.12, treat it as affected by the cited advisories. (GitHub Advisory Database; CERT Santé)
- Install a current WinRAR release. Obtain the update through WinRAR’s vendor distribution channel. The cited sources do not establish which release is latest today, so do not use the historical 7.12 Beta 1 threshold as a target for a fresh installation.
- Confirm the update. Reopen WinRAR, return to Help > About WinRAR, and verify that the installed version is current and no earlier than the fixed threshold.
What organizations can do beyond updating
Check Point documents an IPS protection for CVE-2025-6218. Its advisory instructs administrators to update IPS and enable the protection on applicable Security Gateways. This is a network detection layer for exploitation attempts; it does not update WinRAR on user devices. The cited advisory does not establish that IPS detection prevents every attack or substitutes for patching. (Check Point Software)
| Response | Purpose | Deployment scope | Operational responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update WinRAR | Remove the vulnerable version from the host | Individual computers with WinRAR installed | The user or the organization managing that computer |
| Enable the Check Point IPS protection | Detect exploitation attempts at the network gateway | Applicable managed Security Gateways | Security administrators |
The two measures address different layers. Applying the software update is the direct remediation for an affected WinRAR installation; an IPS rule is an additional organizational detection measure. The cited sources provide no comparative effectiveness, cost, or performance figures.
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