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Verdict Malicious

Analyzed , 3 months ago

Is Setup.exe safe? No, we rate this exact file malicious.

33 of the 69 antivirus engines that checked it flag this software installer as a trojan.

Strong evidence · Two or more major antivirus engines agree.

Don't install this file

If you already installed it, follow the steps below.

What to do now4 steps

This file is harmful. Don't run it, and remove it.

If you haven't installed it

  1. Don't install this file. Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin.

If you already installed it

  1. Disconnect the device from the internet, then run a full antivirus scan. Microsoft Defender Offline (Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options) also finds malware that hides while Windows runs.

  2. If you typed passwords on the device after running it, change them from another device you trust.

  3. If the scan keeps finding it, or the device still acts strangely, scan again with a second-opinion scanner from another company; if that doesn't fix it, back up your personal files and reinstall Windows.

If you already ran it, do these in order.

If you opened or installed it

Avoid banking and sign-ins on that device until it is clean. These free MalwareTips guides walk you through it.

Paste this report's link in your topic so helpers can see what was found.

Why we think so

Share this file report

Setup.exe: Malicious — MalwareTips file scan

The link always shows the latest result for this exact file (its SHA-256 fingerprint).

Reads the latest antivirus results for this file's hash. Nothing is uploaded.

Antivirus results

33 of 69 flagged

  • Flagged 33
  • No detection 36
  • No result 5
FileSetup.exe8.4 MBSHA-256 12901e1bb180…e2f763
  • Code signing Signer not verified
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 3mo ago
33 of the 69 antivirus engines that checked it flag it, including Microsoft and Kaspersky.

Chapter 02

Why we think so

6 points against it and 3 in its favour, checked against the scan evidence.

MT AI Engine · Verdict analysis

The reasoning behind this verdict

Analyst conclusion

This file exhibits strong malware indicators: 10 independent major antivirus engines (Avast, Microsoft, ESET, Kaspersky, Fortinet, and others) flag it as malicious across diverse family names (MalwareX, Kryptik, Wacatac, Agent). The file is signed by an unknown publisher ('Hosts File Backup') with no prior reputation history, raising authenticity concerns.

Where this verdict could be wrong4 caveats
  • tier1FamilyConsensus.strong=false (only 2 engines on 'malwarex') — if the major antivirus engines were truly aligned, we would expect ≥3 to agree on a single family. The diversity of family names could indicate rule-based over-flagging rather than a known malware strain.
  • No external-intel corroboration (CIRCL, MalwareBazaar, YARAify all negative) — community researchers have not yet published YARA rules or MalwareBazaar signatures for this sample, which could reflect newness or low prevalence rather than false positive.
  • No complete contacted-host reputation result was available — the sample did not reach out to known-malicious infrastructure or drop secondary payloads in the sandbox run, which could suggest the malware requires specific trigger conditions or network environment.
  • Signer 'Hosts File Backup' is plausible as a legitimate utility name, and the certificate date (07/11/2026) is recent but not obviously spoofed — however, the lack of any signer history and the major consensus override this consideration.

These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.

6 sources checked · 5 complete · 1 not needed or not applicable. See every source

Chapter 03

What it did in our test

It ran in our isolated test environment; no test environment rated what it did as risky.

Test run summary

Capture complete
  • 12sandbox rule tags
  • 2spawned processes
  • 0network contacts
  • 4filesystem & mutex artifacts

What the test run showed

What the file did on a test computer

Confirmed in the test run

  • Moderate concern: Contains packed or scrambled code that is harder to inspect (common in installers too).

  • Moderate concern: Ran commands or a script on the test computer.

  • Moderate concern: Checked whether it was running on a test computer.

  • Note: Read the user name of the test computer.

  • Note: Listed the programs running on the test computer.

  • Note: Read basic details of the test computer, such as its Windows version.

  • Note: Loaded extra code modules while running.

Sandbox labels we could not confirm (common in safe files too)

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as code injection, but no injected program was recorded.

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as contacting a server, but no contacted host was recorded.

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as weakening security settings; no setting change was recorded.

This file was run on a test computer (a sandbox), not on yours. Labels we could not confirm are listed so you can see them, but they are not treated as evidence against the file.

Threat context

How trojans work

A trojan pretends to be something useful or harmless so that you run it. Once open, it does its real job in the background, from stealing data to opening a back door or downloading more malware.

Bottom line:The disguise is the whole trick, so a trustworthy-looking name or icon means nothing.

Recorded behavior

What happened in the test

Grouped by step. The order is not a timeline.

Seen in the test runWorked out from other results

  1. Input file

    The submitted object

    1
    1. Evidence 1 of 5: FileSeen in the test run

      Setup.exe

      12901e1bb180f95387328e9ec6fe3a9c652149b71cdb658c4fd1ff65c3e2f763

      Uploaded file

  2. Processes

    What ran

    2
    1. Evidence 2 of 5: ProcessSeen in the test run

      Setup.exe

      "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\Setup.exe"

      Test run
    2. Evidence 3 of 5: ProcessSeen in the test run

      Setup.exe

      "C:\Users\user\Desktop\Setup.exe"

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  3. Files

    Created or changed

    2
    1. Evidence 4 of 5: Written fileSeen in the test run

      hp_000017e8.mp4

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\hp_000017e8.mp4

      Test run
    2. Evidence 5 of 5: Written fileSeen in the test run

      hp_00001a90.mp4

      C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\hp_00001a90.mp4

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

5 facts from the test run. See the full activity list.

Chapter 04

Technical details

33 of the 69 antivirus engines that checked it flag it; a signature that did not verify.

Sources checked

Every check behind this verdict

6 sources checked · 5 complete · 1 not needed or not applicable. Complete means the check returned a usable result; it does not mean the file is safe.

SourceStatusResultChecked
Antivirus enginesVirusTotal · 74 enginesCompleteRisk signal: 33 of 69 engines flagged it · 5 gave no result Details for antivirus engines
Sandbox runVirusTotal sandboxesCompleteRuntime behaviour was recorded Details for sandbox run
Contacted hostsMalwareTips URL scannerNot neededThe sandbox recorded no contacted hosts to checkNo date recorded
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesComplete1 MalwareTips behaviour rule Details for signature rules
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompleteNo match

Engines that flagged it 33

  • Avast (major engine)MalwareX-gen [Cryp]
  • AVG (major engine)MalwareX-gen [Cryp]
  • Avira (major engine)TR/W64.MalwareX
  • BitDefender (major engine)Gen:Variant.Adware.Yogi.1599
  • Emsisoft (major engine)Gen:Variant.Adware.Yogi.1599 (B)
  • ESET-NOD32 (major engine)Win64/Kryptik.HCX trojan
  • F-Secure (major engine)Trojan.TR/W64.MalwareX
  • Fortinet (major engine)W64/Kryptik.HCX!tr
25 more in the full engine list

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Jul 12, 2026, 6:10 PM UTC
SHA-256
12901e1bb180f95387328e9ec6fe3a9c652149b71cdb658c4fd1ff65c3e2f763
SHA-1
640132955090d42f375c0c3c82756d3412142676
MD5
1b6c7da8cd4a763967efd98a26071591

About this file

Setup.exe is a Win32 EXE file of 8.4 MB.

Type and size
Win32 EXE · 8.4 MB
Signer
Hosts File Backup (unverified signature)Worth noting: Malware sometimes copies or steals a company's signature, so this does not mean that company made it.
First seen
Jul 11, 2026On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
20 distinct sources
Packer
None detected
Entropy
7.67 of 8

First scanned

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

Short answers to the 9 questions people ask most about this file.

Is Setup.exe malware?
Yes. This copy of Setup.exe (SHA-256 12901e1b…f763) is malicious. Other files with the same name can be different, so check the hash. Don't install it. Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin. 33 of the 69 antivirus engines that checked it flag it. Antivirus engines classify it as a trojan: malware disguised as something harmless so that you run it. If you've already installed it, see the steps below.
What is Setup.exe?
Setup.exe is a software installer, about 8.4 MB. It carries no version information saying what it is or who made it. VirusTotal first saw it on Jul 11, 2026.
How many antivirus engines detected Setup.exe?
33 of the 69 antivirus engines that checked it flag Setup.exe, including Microsoft and Kaspersky. We weigh which engines flagged it and what else the scan found, not just the count. The rating comes from all the evidence together, not from this count alone.
I already downloaded and installed Setup.exe — what should I do?
Act quickly. 1) Disconnect the device from the internet. 2) Run a full scan with your antivirus and let it remove what it finds. 3) Change your important passwords from another device you trust, starting with email and banking, and turn on two-step verification. 4) If you bank or shop on this device, watch your accounts and tell your bank about payments you don't recognise. 5) If the scan keeps finding it, back up your personal files and reinstall Windows.
How do I remove Setup.exe?
To remove Setup.exe: 1) run a full scan with your antivirus and let it remove what it finds. 2) Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin. 3) Check Settings > Apps, your browser extensions, startup apps (Task Manager > Startup apps) and scheduled tasks for anything you don't recognise. 4) Restart and scan again. If it keeps coming back, scan from Safe Mode with Networking, or back up your files and reinstall Windows.
What kind of malware is Setup.exe?
Antivirus engines classify Setup.exe as a trojan: malware disguised as something harmless so that you run it.
Is Setup.exe digitally signed?
It carries a signature in the name of Hosts File Backup that could not be verified. Malware sometimes copies or steals a company's signature, so this does not mean that company made it.
What is the SHA-256 hash of Setup.exe?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of Setup.exe is 12901e1bb180f95387328e9ec6fe3a9c652149b71cdb658c4fd1ff65c3e2f763, and its MD5 is 1b6c7da8cd4a763967efd98a26071591. Two files with the same SHA-256 are identical, so use it to check you have exactly this file, not just one with the same name.
How up to date is this analysis of Setup.exe?
This report reflects the scan on Jul 12, 2026. A file's fingerprint never changes, but antivirus engines keep learning, so a rating can change later. To get a newer result, scan the file again: we refresh the antivirus results when the saved ones are out of date.
Chapter 06

Community

Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.

Related file reports

Other files people checked with the same name. A matching name does not make two files the same: only the SHA-256 fingerprint identifies a file.

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