7-Zip Mark of the Web Bypass (CVE-2025-0411)

Historical catalog analysis: CISA added this entry on February 06, 2025. The entry reflects catalog information retrieved on August 31, 2026, not a snapshot archived on the inclusion date. Check current vendor guidance before acting.

What the vulnerability is

CVE-2025-0411 is a protection mechanism failure (CWE-693) identified in 7-Zip. The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to bypass the Mark of the Web (MotW) security feature. If successful, this bypass could enable the execution of arbitrary code within the context of the current user.

Exposure and applicability

This vulnerability affects environments where 7-Zip is deployed as a utility for archive management. The primary exposure path involves the processing of malicious archives designed to evade MotW protections—a security feature intended to warn users or block execution of files originating from untrusted sources (such as the internet).

Because 7-Zip is widely utilized across various operating systems and organizational roles, the attack surface includes any user with the authority to open archived files. The inclusion of this vulnerability in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog indicates that it is a priority for remediation.

Remediation priorities

Based on our analysis, organizations should prioritize the following actions to reduce exposure:

1. Inventory and Version Audit: Identify all instances of 7-Zip across the fleet. This is the first step in determining which assets are susceptible to the MotW bypass.
2. Apply Vendor Mitigations: Update 7-Zip according to the vendor’s history log and instructions. The source indicates that applying these mitigations or discontinuing use if no mitigation exists is the required corrective action.
3. Restrict Untrusted Archive Execution: Until updates are verified, limit the ability of users to execute files extracted from archives sourced from external or untrusted zones.

How to validate remediation

To verify that exposure has been reduced, defenders should move beyond simple version checks. While confirming a version update is necessary, it does not alone prove the MotW bypass is mitigated in the specific environment’s configuration.

Validation should include:
* Configuration Audit: Verifying that the updated binary is deployed across all endpoints and that older, vulnerable versions have been removed from the system path.
* Behavioral Verification: In a controlled, authorized test environment, verifying whether the application correctly handles files marked with the Mark of the Web according to the vendor’s updated security specifications.

Limits and open questions

There are several unknowns regarding this vulnerability. The source does not specify if it is currently being utilized in known ransomware campaigns. Additionally, while CISA has set a remediation deadline for federal agencies (2025-02-27), this date is a regulatory requirement for those specific entities and not a technical expiration of the vulnerability.

Residual risk remains if users possess administrative privileges, as arbitrary code execution in the context of an administrator significantly increases the potential impact. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the fix depends on the underlying operating system’s ability to correctly apply and maintain the Mark of the Web attribute.

Source and editorial note

CVE-2025-0411: 7-Zip Mark of the Web Bypass Vulnerability · Source date: February 06, 2025 · Retrieved August 31, 2026.

Material facts are tied to the cited primary source. Recommendations are independent defensive analysis unless attributed to the source. Confirm consequential decisions against current authoritative guidance.

Archive date: February 09, 2025. The displayed post date is assigned three days after the source date to organize this retrospective archive; it does not mean this site published the analysis then. First published by this site: October 25, 2026 at 00:52 UTC.

Request a Vulnerability Assessment