CVE-2024-8811
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass WinZip's Mark-of-the-Web protection by tricking users into opening malicious archive files. When exploited, it can lead to arbitrary code execution with the victim's user privileges. All WinZip users who open archive files from untrusted sources are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WinZip
📦 What is this software?
Winzip by Winzip
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise via arbitrary code execution leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Malware execution leading to credential theft, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the network.
If Mitigated
Contained malware execution limited by application sandboxing or user privilege restrictions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) but is technically simple once the malicious archive is delivered.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check WinZip updates for specific version
Vendor Advisory: https://www.winzip.com/en/support/security-advisories/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Open WinZip
2. Go to Help > Check for Updates
3. Install any available updates
4. Restart WinZip if prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable automatic archive opening
windowsConfigure WinZip to not automatically open or extract archives from untrusted sources
Use alternative archive software
windowsTemporarily use 7-Zip or other archive tools until WinZip is patched
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to block WinZip execution
- Use email filtering to block archive attachments from untrusted sources
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WinZip version and compare against latest patched version from vendor advisoryCheck Version:
In WinZip: Help > About WinZipVerify Fix Applied:
Verify WinZip version is updated to latest release and test with sample MoTW archives📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- WinZip process spawning unexpected child processes
- Archive files being opened from temporary internet folders
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections following archive file opening
SIEM Query:
Process Creation where (Image contains 'winzip' OR ParentImage contains 'winzip') AND CommandLine contains '.zip' OR '.rar'