Update WinRAR on Your PC Right Now
Last month, a 19-year-old bug was discovered in WinRAR , the software that many PC users use to unpack .zip and other files on their computers. While the company quickly fixed the bug, this coincidence requires users to update their software to be safe, and many people have not yet done so.
According to WinRAR, the deal is like this:
WinRAR has always been known for its broad support for all popular compression formats. A recent report by Check Point Software identified a potential security vulnerability in the UNACEV2.DLL library, which was used in previous versions of WinRAR to unpack ACE archives. No attacks have been reported yet, but to provide WinRAR users with a stable and clean version, the latest WinRAR 5.70 has been released. Since UNACEV2.DLL has not been updated since 2005 and access to its source code is not available, it was decided to drop support for ACE archives, starting with WinRAR 5.70. Now, after launching the latest stable version of WinRAR 5.70, it is highly recommended to immediately upgrade to the new version 5.70.
For users who are not interested in upgrading or have not yet found a localized version of WinRAR 5.70, win.rar GmbH advises to remove the UNACEV2.DLL file from their current WinRAR version in order to get reliable protection again. All users of WinRAR 5.10 or any newer version can find the UNACEV2.DLL file in the WinRAR program folder. Users of WinRAR versions older than 5.10 can find the UNACEV2.DLL file in the Formats subfolder of the WinRAR program.
According to McAfee , there are over 100 unique exploits that can arise from an error, including one where hackers can extract a malicious file to your computer’s startup folder, which will automatically launch the next time you restart your computer. Not ideal.
Fortunately, there is a quick and easy way to protect yourself from the bug and all the nasty things that come with it: just update your software.
You need WinRAR version 5.70. You can find it here . If you are a WinRAR user, make sure you have the latest version installed!