System possibly hijacked by malware (downloadable .rar file)

If you have downloaded this file, do extract it on your primary system. Instead, consider these steps:

A RAR archive (.rar) used for data compression .

RAR files are common vectors for malware because they can bypass some basic antivirus scanners that primarily focus on popular formats. Common Malware Characteristics in 10MB Archives

RAR uses a proprietary algorithm that often achieves higher compression ratios than standard ZIP files.

The archive may contain Windows Batch (.bat) scripts designed to download further payloads once executed.

Older versions of WinRAR have known vulnerabilities that allow a malicious archive to infect a system upon extraction. Recommended Safety Precautions