CVE-2024-36052: WinRAR Information Disclosure Vulnerability

CVE-2024-36052 Overview

CVE-2024-36052 is a screen output spoofing vulnerability affecting RARLAB WinRAR versions prior to 7.00 on Windows systems. This vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate the visual output displayed to users through the injection of ANSI escape sequences, potentially deceiving users about the actual contents or operations being performed within WinRAR.

Critical Impact

Attackers can spoof screen output via ANSI escape sequences, potentially tricking users into executing malicious actions or misinterpreting file contents and extraction results.

Affected Products

• RARLAB WinRAR versions before 7.00
• Microsoft Windows (as the affected platform)
• WinRAR installations running on Windows operating systems

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-05-21 - CVE-2024-36052 published to NVD
• 2025-06-20 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-36052

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-150 (Improper Neutralization of Escape, Meta, or Control Sequences). The flaw exists in how WinRAR processes and displays output containing ANSI escape sequences on Windows platforms. When WinRAR encounters specially crafted archive contents or filenames containing these escape sequences, it fails to properly sanitize or neutralize them before rendering the output to the user interface.

The impact of this vulnerability is primarily on integrity, as attackers can manipulate what users see on screen without affecting confidentiality or system availability directly. This type of attack is particularly insidious because users may believe they are performing safe operations while the actual behavior differs from what is displayed.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within WinRAR's display routines. ANSI escape sequences are special character combinations that control cursor position, colors, and other terminal display properties. When these sequences are embedded within archive metadata or filenames and are not properly escaped before display, the terminal or console interprets them as control commands rather than literal text.

On Windows systems, the Windows Console (cmd.exe) and Windows Terminal support ANSI escape sequences, making this attack vector viable when WinRAR outputs information to these environments. The vulnerability allows an attacker to craft archives that, when listed or extracted, display misleading information to the user.

Attack Vector

The attack leverages network-based delivery of malicious archives. An attacker can create a specially crafted archive containing ANSI escape sequences embedded in filenames, directory names, or other metadata fields. When a victim downloads and interacts with this archive using a vulnerable version of WinRAR, the escape sequences are interpreted by the console, allowing the attacker to:

• Hide malicious filenames from display
• Display fake "safe" filenames while extracting different files
• Manipulate progress indicators or status messages
• Clear previous console output to obscure warnings

The attack requires no special privileges and can be executed remotely by distributing the malicious archive through various channels such as email attachments, malicious websites, or file-sharing platforms. Technical details about this vulnerability have been documented in a Medium article on the WinRAR ANSI escape injection vulnerability.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-36052

Indicators of Compromise

• Archive files containing unusual character sequences (escape characters, control codes) in filenames or metadata
• Console output that appears inconsistent or shows unexpected cursor movements during WinRAR operations
• Files extracted with names differing from what was displayed during the extraction process
• Presence of archives with embedded ANSI escape codes (hex values like \\x1b[ or \e[) in file listings

Detection Strategies

• Implement file integrity monitoring to detect discrepancies between displayed and actual extracted filenames
• Deploy endpoint detection rules to identify archives containing ANSI escape sequences in metadata
• Configure SentinelOne behavioral AI to monitor for suspicious WinRAR console output manipulation patterns
• Utilize static analysis tools to scan incoming archives for embedded control sequences before user interaction

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable enhanced logging for archive extraction operations to capture actual vs. displayed file information
• Monitor for WinRAR processes with unusual console output patterns or rapid cursor position changes
• Implement network-level scanning for archives containing suspicious escape sequence patterns
• Configure SIEM rules to correlate file download events with subsequent unexpected file creation patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-36052

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade all WinRAR installations to version 7.00 or later immediately
• Audit all systems for vulnerable WinRAR versions and prioritize remediation
• Educate users about the risks of opening archives from untrusted sources
• Consider using alternative archive utilities while awaiting patch deployment

Patch Information

RARLAB has addressed this vulnerability in WinRAR version 7.00. Users should download the latest version directly from the official RARLAB release notes page to ensure they receive the legitimate security update. The patch implements proper sanitization of ANSI escape sequences before rendering output to the console, preventing the spoofing attack vector.

Organizations should verify the integrity of downloaded installers using checksums provided by RARLAB. Enterprise deployments should use centralized software management tools to push the update across all managed endpoints.

Workarounds

• Avoid using command-line WinRAR operations until patching is complete, as the console-based attack vector is primary
• Use GUI-only mode for archive operations where ANSI escape sequences have reduced impact
• Implement strict email and download filtering to block potentially malicious archives from reaching end users
• Configure endpoint protection to quarantine archives with suspicious metadata patterns for manual review

# Verify WinRAR version to ensure patched
# Run in command prompt or PowerShell
winrar.exe -? | findstr "WinRAR"

# Expected output for patched version should show 7.00 or higher
# If version is below 7.00, immediate upgrade is required