WinRAR Zero-Day CVE-2025-8088 Exploited to Spread RomCom Malware

Critical WinRAR flaw CVE-2025-8088 exploited by Russia-linked hackers to spread RomCom malware, update to version 7.13 now to stay protected. Learn how a Russia-linked group is using this vulnerability and why you must manually update to WinRAR 7.13 now to stay safe.

WinRAR, a popular tool used by millions to manage compressed files, has been found to have a serious security weakness that was being actively exploited by hackers. The flaw, officially named CVE-2025-8088, allowed attackers to trick the program into installing malware on users’ computers without their knowledge. Security researchers at the firm ESET discovered and disclosed the issue, which has since been patched by WinRAR in a new update.

How the Attack Worked

The vulnerability is a type of path traversal bug. This means a malicious file could be designed to make WinRAR save a file in a different location than where the user intended, such ...