Is Notepad.exe safe?
No antivirus engine detected the Microsoft-signed executable, while broad YARA matches and an unchecked direct-IP contact warrant only routine source verification.
All 75 antivirus engines were free of detections, including 17 tier-1 contributors, and the executable carries a verified Microsoft Corporation signature. Seven broad YARA matches and one direct-IP contact are counter-signals, but neither produced a named malware family or a malicious sandbox assessment.
03745e9e21684c0e6d…7ab7d6991d58d1Recommended next actions
Before running
Run it only when it came from the developer's official site or another source you independently trust.
If you already ran it
Keep normal device protection enabled and stop if the file behaves unexpectedly.
Intelligence
The saved assessment, checked against the scan evidence and recorded coverage.
The reasoning behind this verdict
This section explains the evidence supporting the verdict and keeps conflicting or missing signals visible.
All 75 antivirus engines were free of detections, including 17 tier-1 contributors, and the executable carries a verified Microsoft Corporation signature. Seven broad YARA matches and one direct-IP contact are counter-signals, but neither produced a named malware family or a malicious sandbox assessment.
The strongest evidence is the complete absence of detections across 75 antivirus engines, including all 17 tier-1 contributors. The executable is signed with a verified Microsoft Corporation certificate, and the publisher matches the curated trusted-publisher record. Five signer-matched historical samples also received favorable decisions, reinforcing the publisher evidence. One completed sandbox reported no offensive techniques or malicious assessment, although it contacted 162.159.36.2 and no complete host-reputation cross-check is available. Seven YARA rules matched, but the supplied names describe broad injection, debugger-checking, TLS-callback, and compiler patterns rather than a coherent malware family. On balance, the signature, engine results, and historical signer evidence outweigh those nonspecific counter-signals.
What We Detected
The executable produced 0 detections among 75 antivirus engines, with all 17 tier-1 contributors reporting no detection. Its digital signature is verified to Microsoft Corporation, and signing.trustedPublisher.matched confirms the publisher match. Five previous signer-matched samples also received favorable decisions.
Threat Behavior
One completed sandbox recorded no offensive MITRE techniques and no malicious sandbox assessment. It did contact the IP address 162.159.36.2, but contactedHosts is unavailable, so there is no complete reputation result for that contact. Seven community YARA rules matched, including CP_Script_Inject_Detector and several debugger or compiler-pattern rules; these are meaningful cautions but do not establish a named malware family by themselves.
What To Do Now
Use the file only if it came from Microsoft, Windows Update, or another trusted distribution channel. Keep endpoint protection enabled, and verify the Microsoft signature in the file properties if the download source is uncertain.
Where this verdict could be wrong3 caveats
- externalIntel.yaraify.ruleCount=7 provides researcher-rule corroboration, but the supplied rules do not identify a consistent malware family.
- MalwareTips.Synth.DirectIpC2 recorded contact with 162.159.36.2; contactedHosts=null means its reputation was not completely cross-checked.
- signing.signerStats records 1 malicious result among 18 Microsoft Corporation samples, so the signer history is strongly favorable but not perfect.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- 0/75 antivirus engines detected malware or suspicious content.
- All 17 tier-1 contributors reported no detection.
- Verified Microsoft Corporation digital signature.
- Five of five signer-matched historical samples received favorable decisions.
- No offensive techniques or malicious sandbox assessment were recorded.
- Seven community YARA rules matched broad capability or structural patterns.
- The sandbox contacted 162.159.36.2 directly.
- No complete reputation cross-check is available for the contacted IP.
- The file has only medium observed prevalence.
If the file came through an official Microsoft channel, normal use is reasonable. Otherwise, confirm the Microsoft signature and source before running it, while keeping endpoint protection enabled.
Coverage & freshness
Complete means the check returned a usable result. It does not mean the file is safe.
Antivirus
Complete0 of 75 engines flagged the file.
Sandbox
Complete1 isolated runtime environment contributed observations.
Network
Partial1 runtime contact was observed without a completed reputation cross-check.
YARA
Complete6 signature or behavior rules matched.
External intel
Complete3 of 3 independent reference sources completed.
Behavior
Plain-English impact first, then the observed runtime evidence.
Runtime flight recorder
Capture complete- 1isolated sandbox run
- 1MITRE ATT&CK techniques
- 1spawned processes
- 1network contacts
- 0filesystem & mutex artifacts
Attack story
Runtime observations grouped by analysis stage. Arrows organize the stages; they do not claim chronology or causality.
Input file
The submitted object
- FileObserved
Notepad.exe
03745e9e21684c0e6d9fdc50d91caa0935f4baf50f626c11987ab7d6991d58d1
01Uploaded file
Processes
Runtime execution
- ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Users\user\Desktop\software.exe"
02Isolated runtime analysis
Network
Hosts contacted
- Contacted hostObserved
162.159.36.2
Contact observed during runtime.
03Isolated runtime analysis
3 recorded facts from one runtime window. Every fact remains independently traceable in Analyst mode.
What this file did when executed
This file was detonated in 1 sandbox and its runtime behaviour was observed.
Adversary techniques mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
- 162.159.36.2
Detection & Forensics
Consensus, attribution, signatures, code structure, prevalence, and identity.
Evidence integrity
Chain of custody for the facts preserved in this report.
- 6rule hits recorded
- 0 / 75engines flagged
- 19sources in submission history
Why these facts are shown
Each statement identifies whether it was directly recorded or derived from saved scan facts.
- 01
0 of 75 antivirus engines flagged the file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceAntivirus analysisObserved at - 02
The file has a valid code signature from Microsoft Corporation.
ProvenanceObservedSourceCode-signing metadataObserved at - 03
5 high-confidence signature or behavior rules matched this file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceSignature and behavior rulesObserved at - 04
Scanned file: Notepad.exe — 03745e9e21684c0e6d9fdc50d91caa0935f4baf50f626c11987ab7d6991d58d1
ProvenanceObservedSourceUploaded fileObserved at - 05
Observed process — "C:\Users\user\Desktop\software.exe"
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 06
Contacted host: 162.159.36.2 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at
Detection sources at a glance
The available sources did not agree on a named threat category.
One or more independent reference databases matched this hash.
Signatures and behavior heuristics
A community signature or high-severity behavioral heuristic matched. Signatures identify known patterns; heuristics are strong leads but are not proof on their own.
- CP_Script_Inject_Detector
- DebuggerCheck__API
- DebuggerCheck__QueryInfo
- golang_bin_JCorn_CSC846
- pe_detect_tls_callbacks
The sample contacted an external IP address directly and no application domain was recorded. Direct-IP traffic also occurs in legitimate installers and infrastructure, so this is supporting context only and requires corroboration from host reputation and other runtime evidence.
Evidence162.159.36.2
0 of 75 engines flagged this file
View all 75 engine results
Section entropy & packers
No high-entropy executable section or known packer signature was detected. Data and resource sections can still have high entropy without indicating packed code.
How widely this file has been seen
Moderate prevalence — neither rare nor common. No strong prior applies.
Fingerprint and provenance
- File name
- Notepad.exe
- Format
- Win32 EXE
- Code signing
- Signature valid: Microsoft Corporation
- Size
- 3.2 MB
- Last analyzed
- Sep 11, 2026, 6:37 AM UTC
03745e9e21684c0e6d9fdc50d91caa0935f4baf50f626c11987ab7d6991d58d1Safety & FAQ
Complete recovery guidance and answers for the next decision.
What to do now
This file appears low risk based on the evidence available now.
- Recovery step 01
Run it only when it came from the developer's official site or another source you independently trust.
- Recovery step 02
A clean result reduces known risk, but it cannot guarantee that every new or targeted threat has been detected.
- Recovery step 03
Keep your antivirus and Windows updates switched on so you stay protected.
Safety FAQ
Direct answers grounded in the saved verdict and evidence in this report.
Is Notepad.exe safe?
What is Notepad.exe?
How many antivirus engines detected Notepad.exe?
Is Notepad.exe digitally signed?
What is the SHA-256 hash of Notepad.exe?
Is it safe to run Notepad.exe?
How up to date is this analysis of Notepad.exe?
Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.