Security flaw discovered in popular software with 500 million users

(Dan Tri) - WinRAR, a popular software installed and used on about 500 million computers worldwide, has just been discovered to have a serious security vulnerability that is being exploited by hackers to install malware.

Security vulnerability on WinRAR could affect hundreds of millions of users (Illustration: BComputer).

According to researchers from security company ESET, hackers will send emails with files containing malicious code, or trick users into downloading files containing malicious code from the Internet.

When users activate these files, the malware inside will take advantage of security vulnerabilities in the WinRAR software installed on the computer to open backdoors, allowing hackers to remotely access the computer without the user knowing.

Through the backdoor, hackers can install additional malware and spyware on computers to steal data and user account login information.

The security vulnerability exists in all versions of WinRAR for Windows operating systems. WinRAR software versions for Mac, Linux and Android are not affected by this vulnerability.

Security experts say they have discovered evidence that hackers have exploited a security vulnerability in WinRAR to attack users.

Up to now, WinRAR has released the latest version 7.13 to patch the dangerous security hole.

However, because WinRAR does not have the feature to automatically upgrade to the new version, users need to download and install WinRAR 7.13 version themselves to fix the security vulnerability. Readers can download the latest version of WinRAR here.

WinRAR is the most popular data compression/decompression software in the world . As of August this year, it is estimated that WinRAR has been installed and used on about 500 million devices worldwide.

WinRAR is not free software. WinRAR only allows users to use it for 40 days.

However, after the trial period, WinRAR only displays a notification asking to purchase a software license, and if the user declines this offer, they will continue to use WinRAR normally without any restrictions.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/phat-hien-lo-hong-bao-mat-tren-phan-mem-pho-bien-co-500-trieu-nguoi-dung-20250812022555387.htm