ZIP and RAR archives are among the most common carriers for malware. Cybercriminals use them for several reasons:

: Malware can be hidden within a ZIP to bypass some basic security filters that only scan for executable extensions like .exe .

Searching for specific files like often leads to untrusted sources, and downloading such files poses significant security risks. While a ZIP file itself is generally not executable and cannot infect your system just by sitting on your hard drive, it acts as a container that can hide malicious software. The Risks of Untrusted ZIP Files