Chaos Communication Congress

From Convenience to Contagion: The Libarchive Vulnerabilities Lurking in Windows 11 (38x211)

Air date: Dec 30, 2024

In the October 2023 update, Windows 11 introduced support for 11 additional compression formats, including RAR and 7z, allowing users to manage these types of files natively within File Explorer. The enhancement significantly improves convenience; however, it also introduces potential security risks. To support these various compression formats, Windows 11 utilizes the libarchive library, a well-established open-source library used across multiple operating systems like Linux, BSD, and macOS, and in major projects such as ClickHouse, Homebrew, and Osquery.