CVE-2004-1254
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedWinRAR 3.40, and possibly earlier versions, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a ZIP file containing a file with a long filename, possibly causing an integer overflow that leads to a buffer overflow.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceWinRAR 3.40 and earlier versions contain a buffer overflow vulnerability when processing ZIP files containing files with excessively long filenames. The vulnerability likely stems from an integer overflow when calculating buffer sizes for the filename, allowing an attacker to overwrite memory and execute arbitrary code by tricking a user into opening a specially crafted ZIP file.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 3.0.0= 3.10= 3.10_beta3= 3.10_beta5= 3.11= 3.20= 3.40= 3.41CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate WinRAR installationCheck for winrar.exe in common installation paths: C:\Program Files\WinRAR\, C:\Program Files (x86)\WinRAR\, or search for winrar.exe using the system search. Also check HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\WinRAR.exe in the Windows Registry.Affected if WinRAR is found on the system
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Determine installed WinRAR versionRight-click on winrar.exe, select Properties, then go to the Version tab to read the File Version. Alternatively, launch WinRAR and go to Help > About WinRAR, or run 'winrar.exe /?' from command prompt to display version information.Affected if Version displays as 3.41 or earlier (including 3.0.0, 3.10, 3.10_beta3, 3.10_beta5, 3.11, 3.20, 3.40)
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Confirm version falls within affected rangeCompare the installed version number to the known affected versions: 3.0.0, 3.10, 3.10_beta3, 3.10_beta5, 3.11, 3.20, 3.40, 3.41. Any version from 3.0.0 through 3.41 inclusive is vulnerable.Affected if Installed version matches or precedes 3.41 in the 3.x release line
If WinRAR version 3.41 or earlier is installed, the environment is vulnerable to the buffer overflow when processing ZIP files with excessively long filenames.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade WinRAR to a version newer than 3.40 (preferably the latest stable release), and exercise caution when opening ZIP files from untrusted or unknown sources.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2004-1254 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2004-1254 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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