CVE-2020-23172Public exploit

Arbitrary file overwrite via unnormalized archive paths

Published Aug 10, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Path traversal in the Kuba zip library allows attackers to overwrite arbitrary files by extracting a crafted ZIP archive. The mz_zip_reader_file_stat routine in miniz.h fails to normalize archive entry names, allowing ../ segments to escape the extraction directory. Exploitation requires a user or consuming application to extract the crafted archive, and writes are limited to locations accessible to that process.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.74%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in the Kuba zip library allows attackers to overwrite arbitrary files by extracting a crafted ZIP archive. The mz_zip_reader_file_stat routine in miniz.h fails to normalize archive entry names, allowing ../ segments to escape the extraction directory. Exploitation requires a user or consuming application to extract the crafted archive, and writes are limited to locations accessible to that process.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-23172
Published
Aug 10, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-22, T1204.002
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 10, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
4.3NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
T1204.002User Execution: Malicious File

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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