Final answer:
If you unzip a zip bomb, it can cause your computer to crash or become unresponsive due to the enormous expansion of file size. It is important to exercise caution with unknown or suspicious files and use reliable antivirus software to scan them before extracting them.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you unzip a zip bomb, it can potentially cause your computer to crash or become unresponsive. A zip bomb is a highly compressed file that, when extracted, expands to an enormous size, overwhelming the system's resources. The intention behind a zip bomb is often to create a denial-of-service attack or to cause disruption.
For example, imagine you have a zip file that is only a few kilobytes in size, but when unzipped, it expands to terabytes or petabytes in size. The sudden increase in file size can quickly fill up your computer's storage, making it inaccessible. Additionally, the system may struggle to handle such a massive amount of data, causing it to slow down or crash.
It is essential to exercise caution when handling unknown or suspicious files, especially if they could potentially be zip bombs. Always verify the source of the file and use reliable antivirus software to scan them before extracting.