Unofficial 7-zip.com website served up malware-laden downloads for over a week — infected PCs forced into a proxy botnet

An unofficial 7-zip.com website served malware-infected downloads for over a week, turning infected PCs into a proxy botnet. The site redirected users to malicious files after a delay, evading basic automated scans. The malware installed a proxy server, allowing criminals to route their activities through the victim's PC. The issue was first spotted by SourceForge users, and widespread awareness came via a Reddit post. The lesson: always download software from official sources and verify file hashes.