7-Zip

7-Zip at a glance

7-Zip is a free, open-source file archiver — a staple on admin and user machines for its strong compression and broad format support. Igor Pavlov ships updates in an unhurried cadence, occasionally with fixes to the archive parsers that matter for security.

For admins 7-Zip is a classic "install once and forget" tool, yet it parses untrusted archives — so archive-parser vulnerabilities have real impact, and a current version is worth keeping. Roll it out via winget or the MSI; source it from the official site (fake 7-Zip installers appear in malware campaigns). New versions bring format support and fixes. In managed environments, keep it in the patch cycle rather than letting stale copies accumulate across the fleet.