Google Alerts Users to Exploitation of Critical WinRAR Vulnerability CVE-2025-8088 – Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Google has issued an urgent warning about the active exploitation of a critical vulnerability in WinRAR, identified as CVE-2025-8088. This flaw enables attackers to execute remote code, posing a significant threat given WinRAR’s extensive global user base.

Who should care: CISOs, SOC leads, threat intelligence analysts, fraud & risk leaders, identity & access management teams, and security operations teams.

What happened?

Google’s cybersecurity team has uncovered active exploitation of a critical vulnerability in WinRAR, a widely used file archiving tool. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-8088, allows attackers to perform remote code execution, effectively gaining control over vulnerable systems. This ongoing exploitation campaign specifically targets systems running unpatched versions of WinRAR, leveraging the vulnerability to inject and execute malicious code remotely.

Given WinRAR’s popularity in both personal and enterprise environments, the potential impact is extensive. Millions of users depend on the software for compressing and decompressing files, making the vulnerability an attractive target for cybercriminals. The exploitation is not confined to any particular region, indicating a broad, indiscriminate attack strategy designed to maximize reach and damage.

In response, Google has strongly urged all users to update to the latest version of WinRAR immediately to mitigate this threat. This incident highlights the critical importance of timely software updates and patch management to defend against rapidly evolving cyber threats.

Why now?

The active exploitation of CVE-2025-8088 occurs amid a growing trend of attackers focusing on older, widely deployed software with known vulnerabilities. Over the past 18 months, there has been a noticeable increase in vendor alerts about active exploit campaigns targeting legacy applications. This shift reflects attackers’ strategic preference for exploiting unpatched software that remains prevalent due to user inertia and delayed updates.

The timing underscores the ongoing risk posed by legacy software vulnerabilities and reinforces the urgent need for organizations to adopt proactive vulnerability management practices. Attackers are capitalizing on the window of opportunity created by slow patch adoption to compromise systems at scale.

So what?

This vulnerability serves as a stark reminder of the persistent threat landscape where legacy software weaknesses continue to be exploited. Organizations must prioritize patch management and ensure that all software, particularly widely used applications like WinRAR, is kept current to reduce exposure.

The operational impact is immediate: organizations need to assess their exposure, identify all instances of WinRAR in use, and apply the necessary patches without delay to prevent potential system compromises and data breaches.

What this means for you:

• For CISOs: Prioritize comprehensive vulnerability assessments and enforce robust, timely patch management processes across all software assets.
• For SOC leads: Intensify monitoring for exploitation attempts and ensure incident response plans are updated and ready to address potential breaches.
• For identity & access management teams: Review and tighten access controls to limit lateral movement should a system become compromised.

Quick Hits

• Impact / Risk: The vulnerability enables remote code execution, potentially resulting in full system compromise.
• Operational Implication: Immediate patching is essential to protect systems from active exploitation and prevent data breaches.
• Action This Week: Conduct a thorough vulnerability assessment of all systems running WinRAR; ensure all instances are updated to the latest version; and brief executive leadership on the associated risks and mitigation strategies.