Summary
To WinRAR users: most of latest publications about WinRAR vulnerability are heavily hyperbolized. WinRAR itself is not affected and you can use it to unpack all kinds of archives including self-extracting (.exe) as long as you unpack them with WinRAR and do not run them. The newly discovered issue does not add new risks to SFX archives (.exe files). You still need to run them only if they are received from a trustworthy source, as before. No patches for WinRAR are needed. If you have not installed Windows MS14-064 security update, please do it. It is important for entire Windows security, not just for WinRAR SFX.
To journalists and security experts: .exe files can run the executable code. They can even download and run files, really. Exe files are potentially dangerous. Any exe files. But .rar and .zip files are not .exe. Unpatched Windows systems are not safe. Thank you.