Our call: Is WinWord.exe safe?Safe
Microsoft-signed executable with zero engine detections and four prior safe verdicts for the same signer.
- 0 of 74 antivirus engines flagged the file.Observed · Antivirus analysis
- The hash has a long, established submission history across 647 sources.Derived · Submission history
- The file has a valid code signature from Microsoft Corporation.Observed · Code-signing metadata
1260eed47c7e8200b7…5fdccfe068Recommended 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.
Coverage & freshness
Complete means the check returned a usable result. It does not mean the file is safe.
Antivirus
Complete0 of 74 engines flagged the file.
Sandbox
Complete1 isolated runtime environment contributed observations.
Network
Partial20 runtime contacts were observed without a completed reputation cross-check.
YARA
Complete4 signature or behavior rules matched.
External intel
Complete3 of 3 independent reference sources completed.
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
WinWord.exe
1260eed47c7e8200b78673397274e859bd1a3a7abe6ec8c6880dbe5fdccfe068
01Uploaded file
Processes
Runtime execution
- ProcessObserved
Observed process
%SAMPLEPATH%\WinWord.exe
02Isolated runtime analysis - ProcessObserved
Observed process
C:\Windows\System32\wuapihost.exe
03Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Network
Hosts contacted
- Contacted hostObserved
23.216.147.76
Contact observed during runtime.
04Isolated runtime analysis - Contacted hostObserved
20.99.185.48
Contact observed during runtime.
05Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
5 recorded facts from one runtime window. Every fact remains independently traceable in Analyst mode.
Why these facts are shown
Each statement identifies whether it was directly recorded or derived from saved scan facts.
- 01
0 of 74 antivirus engines flagged the file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceAntivirus analysisObserved at - 02
The hash has a long, established submission history across 647 sources.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceDerivedSourceSubmission historyObserved at - 03
The file has a valid code signature from Microsoft Corporation.
ProvenanceObservedSourceCode-signing metadataObserved at - 04
Scanned file: WinWord.exe — 1260eed47c7e8200b78673397274e859bd1a3a7abe6ec8c6880dbe5fdccfe068
ProvenanceObservedSourceUploaded fileObserved at - 05
Observed process — %SAMPLEPATH%\WinWord.exe
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 06
Observed process — C:\Windows\System32\wuapihost.exe
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 07
Contacted host: 23.216.147.76 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 08
Contacted host: 20.99.185.48 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at
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.
No antivirus engine flagged the file. It carries a verified Microsoft Corporation signature and matches four previously cleared Microsoft-signed samples. The three YARA rules that matched do not override the clean multi-engine and signing evidence.
Seventy-four engines, including seventeen tier-1 scanners, returned zero malicious detections. The binary is signed by Microsoft Corporation with a trusted-publisher match and the signer history shows five-of-five clean samples. Four similar hashes sharing the same signer were previously classified safe under the benign-signed-installer rule. Although YARAify reported three rule hits, none are corroborated by any engine or sandbox verdict. The file is common and old, first submitted in 2014, further supporting legitimacy.
What We Detected
Zero malicious detections across 74 engines. Verified digital signature issued to Microsoft Corporation. Four prior samples from the same signer classified safe.
Threat Behavior
No offensive MITRE techniques observed. Sandbox recorded ambient system queries and direct-IP traffic, but no malicious verdict was issued. Host-reputation cross-check for the fifteen contacted IPs was not completed.
What To Do Now
The file can be considered safe for normal use. Keep Windows Defender and other endpoint protection enabled.
Where this verdict could be wrong3 caveats
- YARAify matched VECT_Ransomware rule, but no engine detection or sandbox malicious verdict supports it.
- contactedHosts is null — host-reputation cross-check was not completed, so network behaviour cannot be fully assessed.
- behaviour.contactedIps contains 15 addresses, but without host-reputation results the maliciousness of those IPs remains unknown.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- Verified Microsoft Corporation signature
- Zero engine detections
- Four prior safe verdicts for identical signer
- Common, long-established file
Retain the file; no further action required beyond normal security hygiene.
Behavior
Plain-English impact first, then the observed runtime evidence.
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.
- 23.216.147.76
- 20.99.185.48
- 192.229.211.108
- 20.99.184.37
- a83f:8110:0:0:beac:bf78:cce1:d301
- 20.99.133.109
- 20.99.186.246
- 192.168.0.37
- 52.154.209.174
- 23.64.157.53
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER2536.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER2601.tmp.csv
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER2641.tmp.txt
- C:\Windows\System32\spp\store\2.0\cache\cache.dat
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER4224.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
Detection & Forensics
Consensus, attribution, signatures, code structure, prevalence, and identity.
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.
- DebuggerCheck__API
- PE_Digital_Certificate
- VECT_Ransomware
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.
Evidence23.216.147.76 · 20.99.185.48 · 192.229.211.108
0 of 74 engines flagged this file
View all 74 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
Widely seen in the wild for a long time. High prior this is legitimate; isolated detections on common-old files are usually false positives.
Fingerprint and provenance
- File name
- WinWord.exe
- Format
- Win32 EXE
- Code signing
- Signature valid: Microsoft Corporation
- Size
- 1.8 MB
- Last analyzed
- Jul 27, 2026, 3:39 PM UTC
1260eed47c7e8200b78673397274e859bd1a3a7abe6ec8c6880dbe5fdccfe068Safety & 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.
Run it only when it came from the developer's official site or another source you independently trust.
A clean result reduces known risk, but it cannot guarantee that every new or targeted threat has been detected.
Keep your antivirus and Windows updates switched on so you stay protected.