Still using WinRAR? It might be time for an update, as a zero-day vulnerability is being 'exploited in the wild in the guise of job application documents'

(Image credit: WinRAR)

There's something about the WinRAR stacked-book logo that makes me all nostalgic, giving me a proper case of the warm fuzzies deep inside. What turns those fuzzies into ouchies, however, is the idea of a zero-day vulnerability in my beloved file compression and extraction tool.

ESET Research first identified the exploit, now classified under the name CVE-2025-8088, back in July, and published a full breakdown of its findings yesterday. The vulnerability is believed to be in active use by a Russia-aligned hacking group working under the alias RomCom, and is "being exploited in the wild in the guise of job application documents."

For those of us who struggle to understand the mechanisms behind these attacks (I'm with you, this stuff is often complicated), Bleeping Computer has a good breakdown. Essentially, an infected archive, once delivered to a host machine, can extract executables into Windows autorun paths—including the Startup folder.

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Andy built his first gaming PC at the tender age of 12, when IDE cables were a thing and high resolution wasn't—and he hasn't stopped since. Now working as a hardware writer for PC Gamer, Andy spends his time jumping around the world attending product launches and trade shows, all the while reviewing every bit of PC gaming hardware he can get his hands on. You name it, if it's interesting hardware he'll write words about it, with opinions and everything.

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