Actively exploited · Published Aug 8, 2025 · Assigned by ESET
CVE-2025-8088Path traversal vulnerability in WinRAR
High 8.4 Exploited Ransomware
In plain English
A high-severity security flaw in WinRAR from win.rar GmbH. Attackers are actively exploiting it in the wild (listed by CISA on August 12, 2025). It has been used in ransomware campaigns. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 94.0% (higher than 99.8% of all known vulnerabilities). Ready-made attack tooling exists: public proof-of-concept code. Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
CISA guidance
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Federal agencies must remediate by Sep 2, 2025.
Official description
A path traversal vulnerability affecting the Windows version of WinRAR allows the attackers to execute arbitrary code by crafting malicious archive files. This vulnerability was exploited in the wild and was discovered by Anton Cherepanov, Peter Košinár, and Peter Strýček from ESET.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine:v3.24 | clamav | 1.4.6-r0 | ALPINE-CVE-2025-8088 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| win.rar GmbH | WinRAR | 0 – through 7.12 |
Weakness: CWE-35 · Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
References
- https://www.win-rar.com/singlenewsview.html?&L=0&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=283&cHash=a64b4a8f662d3639dec8d65f47bc93c5
- https://www.welivesecurity.com/en/eset-research/update-winrar-tools-now-romcom-and-others-exploiting-zero-day-vulnerability/#the-discovery-of-cve-2025-8088 technical-description
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-8088 government-resource
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-8088-detect-winrar-zero-day
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-8088-mitigate-winrar-zero-day-using-srp-and-ifeo
- https://support.dtsearch.com/faq/dts0245.htm
- https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/08/high-severity-winrar-0-day-exploited-for-weeks-by-2-groups/