{"id":5335,"date":"2025-07-14T10:03:41","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/14\/hackers-allegedly-selling-winrar-0-day-exploit-on-dark-web-forums-for-80000\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T10:03:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:03:41","slug":"hackers-allegedly-selling-winrar-0-day-exploit-on-dark-web-forums-for-80000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/14\/hackers-allegedly-selling-winrar-0-day-exploit-on-dark-web-forums-for-80000\/","title":{"rendered":"Hackers Allegedly Selling WinRAR 0-day Exploit on Dark Web Forums for $80,000"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    Hackers Allegedly Selling WinRAR 0-day Exploit on Dark Web Forums for $80,000<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    <!-- no image --><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A threat actor using the handle \u201czeroplayer\u201d advertised a previously unknown remote-code-execution (RCE) exploit for WinRAR on an underground forum.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The post, titled \u201cWINRAR RCE 0DAY \u2013 80,000$,\u201d claims the flaw works \u201cfully on the latest version of WinRAR and below,\u201d is not related to the recently patched CVE-2025-6218, and is available exclusively through the forum\u2019s escrow (\u201cGarant\u201d) service for USD 80,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\"><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Key Takeaways<\/mark><\/strong><br>1. Threat actor \"zeroplayer\" is selling a WinRAR RCE exploit on <a href=\"https:\/\/cybersecuritynews.com\/hackers-selling-advanced-stealthy-hiddenminer-malware\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dark web forums<\/a> for\u00a0 $80,000, distinct from CVE-2025-6218 and affecting latest versions.<br>2. WinRAR's installation on hundreds of millions of Windows systems creates widespread vulnerability through malicious archive attachments.<br>3. APT groups and crimeware operators could weaponize the exploit to compress attack timelines from weeks to hours via email campaigns.<\/pre>\n<p>The disclosure underscores the enduring appeal of WinRAR\u2014a utility installed on hundreds of millions of Windows endpoints\u2014as a high-value target for cyber-criminals.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXcRnKfOg4WHeigz1N-YHd6dnro5jw-bqR__HtBKyEf0qeWFYmH2lRUAPZ9FJ-6VnYLKdUwM33AozUfoKfFzHsAk8XPBaYFXzPFCS3lFqYhfbFLRGALpHbqdFn4qB9VoxzCP4i_tWg?key=FlJvGcjfWICGpOt0_3Zw1Q\" alt=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">WinRAR zero-day exploit for sale\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Critical WinRAR Exploit Threatens Enterprises<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While zeroplayer has held proof-of-concept (PoC) details, previous WinRAR RCE chains provide insight into potential exploitation paths.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.1.0\/72x72\/1f6a8.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"\ud83d\udea8\" class=\"wp-smiley\" style=\"height: 1em; max-height: 1em;\"> Zero-Day Exploit Targeting WinRAR Offered for $80,000 on Dark Web <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.1.0\/72x72\/1f6a8.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"\ud83d\udea8\" class=\"wp-smiley\" style=\"height: 1em; max-height: 1em;\"><\/p>\n<p>A threat actor under the alias &#8220;zeroplayer&#8221; has sale a previously unknown remote code execution (RCE) zero-day exploit affecting the latest and earlier versions of WinRAR. The exploit is confirmed by the\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rqBol2maYI\">pic.twitter.com\/rqBol2maYI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ThreatMon (@MonThreat) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MonThreat\/status\/1944391132714090809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 13, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Historically, attackers abuse WinRAR\u2019s file-format parsing logic especially within UNACEV2.dll or crafted .RAR \/ .ZIP archives\u2014to trigger memory corruption. A typical exploit flow involves:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<strong>Archive Crafting <\/strong>\u2013 An attacker embeds malformed headers or over-long filenames (0x414141\u2026) to corrupt the stack or heap.<\/li>\n<li>\n<strong>Payload Staging <\/strong>\u2013 A small shellcode stub sets EIP to a controlled address, then downloads a larger payload.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>\n<strong>Privilege Escalation \/ Persistence <\/strong>\u2013 Attackers often drop binaries to %AppData%\\Roaming\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Startup\\ to auto-execute at logon, or leverage COM hijacking keys like HKCU\\Software\\Classes\\mscfile\\Shell\\Open\\Command.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If zeroplayer\u2019s exploit bypasses WinRAR\u2019s current DEP\/ASLR mitigations, it could enable reliable code-execution on fully patched Windows 11 systems with default settings\u2014a nightmare scenario for defenders.<\/p>\n<p>WinRAR\u2019s ubiquity in enterprises, combined with routine email use of compressed attachments, offers a near-frictionless delivery channel for threat actors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Notably, APT groups such as APT40 and Sandworm previously chained <a href=\"https:\/\/cybersecuritynews.com\/winrar-vulnerability\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WinRAR<\/a> parsing flaws to deploy DarkMe, BitterRAT, and UAC-0050 implants during spear-phishing campaigns. A viable zero-day at an $80 k price point therefore presents:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Crimeware-as-a-Service (CaaS) brokers could weaponize the bug into maldoc-style lures, similar to CVE-2019-0969 campaigns.<\/li>\n<li>Software build servers that automatically unpack third-party archives are prime secondary targets.<\/li>\n<li>Initial-access brokers might purchase the exploit, establish footholds, and then auction access to ransomware affiliates, compressing dwell time from weeks to hours.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Security teams should monitor for anomalous archive extraction behavior, deploy virtual patching via intrusion-prevention signatures, and prepare for out-of-cycle vendor updates. Until a fix arrives, cyber-hygiene around untrusted archives remains paramount.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background:linear-gradient(180deg,rgb(238,238,238) 94%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%)\">Investigate live malware behavior, trace every step of an attack, and make faster, smarter security decisions -&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/any.run\/demo?utm_source=li_csn&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=red_flags&amp;utm_content=demo&amp;utm_term=070725\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Try ANY.RUN now<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/cybersecuritynews.com\/winrar-0-day-exploit-on-dark-web\/\">Hackers Allegedly Selling WinRAR 0-day Exploit on Dark Web Forums for $80,000<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/cybersecuritynews.com\/\">Cyber Security News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    Kaaviya<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/cybersecuritynews.com\/winrar-0-day-exploit-on-dark-web\/\">Go to cyber-security-news<\/a><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hackers Allegedly Selling WinRAR 0-day Exploit on Dark Web Forums for $80,000 A threat actor using the handle \u201czeroplayer\u201d advertised a previously unknown remote-code-execution (RCE) exploit for WinRAR on an underground forum.\u00a0 The post, titled \u201cWINRAR RCE 0DAY \u2013 80,000$,\u201d claims the flaw works \u201cfully on the latest version of WinRAR and below,\u201d is not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,63,1463,517],"tags":[130],"class_list":["post-5335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cyber-security","category-cyber-security-news","category-dark-web","category-zero-day","tag-cyber-security-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5335"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5335\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serisec.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}