7-Zip fixes bug that bypasses Windows MoTW security warnings, patch now

Gandalf_The_Grey

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A high-severity vulnerability in the 7-Zip file archiver allows attackers to bypass the Mark of the Web (MotW) Windows security feature and execute code on users' computers when extracting malicious files from nested archives.

7-Zip added support for MotW in June 2022, starting with version 22.00. Since then, it has automatically added MotW flags (special 'Zone.Id' alternate data streams) to all files extracted from downloaded archives.

This flag informs the operating system, web browsers, and other applications that files may come from untrusted sources and should be treated with caution.
Luckily, 7-Zip developer Igor Pavlov has already patched this vulnerability on November 30, 2024, with the release of 7-Zip 24.09.

"7-Zip File Manager didn't propagate Zone.Identifier stream for extracted files from nested archives (if there is open archive inside another open archive)," Pavlov said.
Looking at other archive software that use 7-Zip, like for example NanaZip, that uses 7-Zip 24.09 only in the latest preview version and not in the stable version yet.
So, be aware, that other archivers/software can have the same vulnerability.
 

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