CVE-2025-8088 — RARLAB WinRAR Path Traversal Vulnerability
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.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
- Used in ransomware campaigns (CISA)+10
- Public exploit/PoC (github)+6
- EPSS 94.3% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
- Technical severity (high)+6
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented mitigation — www.vicarius.io (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
CISA required action CISA
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
US federal deadline: Sep 2, 2025 — passed 409 day(s) ago
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Dtsearch Dtsearch, Rarlab Winrar, Win-Rar WinRAR).
- Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- Apply the documented mitigations until a definitive fix is available.
- Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
- EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
- Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.4 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | security@eset.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 8.4 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | ESET via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 8.8 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 2.8 | 5.9 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 8.8 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CISA KEV details CISA
CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.
Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates
Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.
- CVE-2025-8088 WinRAR Proof of Concept (PoC-Exploit) ★ 73 Aug 13, 2025
- Advanced WinRAR Path Traversal Exploit Tool for CVE-2025-8088 ★ 55 Aug 14, 2025
- A sophisticated GUI tool for creating malicious RAR archives that exploit the WinRAR path traversal vulnerability (CVE-2025-8088) using ADS and RAR5 header manipulation. ★ 50 Sep 4, 2025
- WinRAR 0day CVE-2025-8088 PoC RAR Archive ★ 44 Aug 12, 2025
- Exploit systems using older WinRAR without knowing their username (unlike other projects) ★ 35 Aug 16, 2025
- CVE-2025-8088-BUILDER ★ 28 May 26, 2024
- An engaging walkthrough on uncovering, patching, and securing the WinRAR CVE-2025-8088 with a hands-on hacker’s twist. ★ 12 Aug 26, 2025
- Python tool for safe archive handling, path traversal awareness, and secure extraction. Inspired by CVE-2025-8088. ★ 10 Aug 10, 2025
- Winrar CVE exploitation before 7.13 using multiple ADS streams on a single file (Custom PDF implementation) ★ 10 Aug 27, 2025
- A high-performance, memory-safe implementation of the WinRAR CVE-2025-8088 exploit tool, rewritten in Rust for better reliability and performance. ★ 8 Aug 27, 2025
Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 12, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 94.26%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Hunt retroactively in logs from before Aug 12, 2025 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · win.rar gmbh/winrar
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- Affected products added · rarlab/winrar, dtsearch/dtsearch
- CVSS changed · 8.8
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Added to CISA KEV (detected)
- Record created in this database
- 2025
- Added to CISA KEV catalog
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
10 on the record
- www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-8088-mitigate-winrar-zero-day-using-srp-and-i
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-832g-3rcm-wcrf
- www.win-rar.com/singlenewsview.html
- support.dtsearch.com/faq/dts0245.htm
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-8088
- arstechnica.com/security/2025/08/high-severity-winrar-0-day-exploited-for-weeks-by-2-
- www.welivesecurity.com/en/eset-research/update-winrar-tools-now-romcom-and-others-exploiting
- www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-8088-detect-winrar-zero-day
- arstechnica.com/security/2025/08/high-severity-winrar-0-day-exploited-for-weeks-by-2-
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-14191 WinRAR / UnRAR RAR5 recovery-volume (.rev) out-of-bounds heap write in RecVolumes5::ReadHeader Jul 1, 2026
- Medium CVE-2019-25677 WinRAR 5.61 Denial of Service via Malformed Language File Apr 5, 2026
- Medium CVE-2025-52331 Cross-site Scripting (XSS) in Rarlab Winrar Nov 12, 2025
- High CVE-2025-6218 RARLAB WinRAR Path Traversal Vulnerability KEV Jun 20, 2025
- High CVE-2023-38831 RARLAB WinRAR Code Execution Vulnerability KEV Aug 23, 2023
- High CVE-2018-20250 WinRAR Absolute Path Traversal Vulnerability KEV Feb 5, 2019
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2025-8088 is "RARLAB WinRAR Path Traversal Vulnerability", rated High. It affects Dtsearch (Dtsearch); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 94.26% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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