if you want a free,trans friendly and open source client built by the man ximself in the language that will last for centuries, you can get it here
Playing on the newest lts version of java 8 is highly suggested
if you're thinking of log4j then that only affected versions above release 1.7
(https://adoptium.net/
https://help.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/articles/4416199399693-Security-Vulnerability-in-Minecraft-Java-Edition)
there are multiple clients to choose from, you can play beta from the official client by following these steps:
Settings > General > Minecraft: Java Edition Settings > Show historical versions of Minecraft
altough it isn't recommended as it is often buggy and prone to crashing
This launcher is controversial, however, it is safe and open source (GPL'd)
It doesn't enforce Mojang's DRM
it's reputation comes from bad-actors trying to slander it because the creator is a chud or something
you can find it here
if you want a free,trans friendly and open source client built by the man ximself in the language that will last for centuries, you can get it here
This website has a lot of archived old hack clients you can use
you can find an archive of over 150 beta 1.7.3 texture packs here (might not work with hacks)