MalwareTipsTools

File scan report

Scan another file

Verdict Suspicious

Analyzed , 20 hours ago

Is setup.exe safe? Treat it as suspicious.

Two engines identify crack or repack riskware, while conflicting runtime results and a concrete Windows hosts-file modification warrant caution despite broad prevalence.

Read the whole reasonShow less

Why Suspicious? 2 antivirus engines flag it, but no major engine agrees and one of our detection rules matched it.

Moderate evidence · More than one sign points to a problem, but nothing confirms it is harmful.

Don't install it until you know where it came from

If it came from a link, an attachment or a stranger, delete it.

What to do now4 steps

Some signs point to a problem, but nothing confirms it is harmful. Treat it with caution.

What to do

  1. Don't install it unless you're sure where it came from.

  2. Check where you got it: an unexpected attachment, a link someone sent you or a re-upload is a red flag.

  3. If you can't confirm where it came from, delete it. If you need the program, download it again from the publisher's own website.

If you already installed it

  1. Stop using it, run a full scan with your antivirus and watch for unexpected behavior or security alerts.

Not sure what to do?

Ask the MalwareTips community before you run it. If you already ran it, follow the cleanup guide.

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: Suspicious — MalwareTips file scan

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

Antivirus results

2 of 62 flagged

  • Flagged 2
  • No detection 60
  • No result 13
Filesetup.exe6.0 MBSHA-256 4aa1a3242c16…2bae9d
  • Code signing Unsigned
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 3y ago
A sandbox test run rated its behaviour as malicious.

Chapter 02

Why we think so

5 points against it and 5 in its favour, checked against the scan evidence.

MT AI Engine · Verdict analysis

The reasoning behind this verdict

Analyst conclusion

Only 2 of the 62 antivirus engines that checked it flagged this unsigned installer, and no major antivirus engines detected it. However, it modified the Windows hosts file and received conflicting runtime assessments, with one malicious and another clean result, so the evidence supports caution rather than a conclusive malware finding.

Where this verdict could be wrong5 caveats
  • No major antivirus engines detected the file, while only 2 of the 62 antivirus engines that checked it flagged it.
  • The runtime assessments conflict: a malicious result is accompanied by a clean result.
  • The file has been submitted by 1,299 sources since Feb 20, 2023, which is substantial prevalence.
  • No inspected child was malicious or suspicious, and the completed host cross-check found no current malicious or suspicious host verdicts.
  • The four community YARA matches are generic and do not identify a malware family.

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 · all complete. See every source

Chapter 03

What it did in our test

It ran in 11 isolated tests; 1 test environment rated what it did as risky.

Test run summary

Capture complete
  • 11isolated sandbox runs
  • 37sandbox rule tags
  • 15spawned processes
  • 41network contacts
  • 40filesystem & 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: Used an unusual way to talk to a server.

  • Moderate concern: Downloaded a file during the test run.

  • Moderate concern: Unpacked hidden content while it ran.

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

  • Note: Read the network settings of the test computer.

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 recording keystrokes; no keylogging was confirmed.

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

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as changing how Windows loads code; nothing confirms it.

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.

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 7: FileSeen in the test run

      setup.exe

      4aa1a3242c16d6345deb8677d58c3a17f7c1e161379c16c02bfb00651f2bae9d

      Uploaded file

  2. Processes

    What ran

    2
    1. Evidence 2 of 7: ProcessSeen in the test run

      executable.exe

      "C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\executable.exe"

      Test run
    2. Evidence 3 of 7: ProcessSeen in the test run

      executable.tmp

      "C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\is-02SUE.tmp\executable.tmp" /SL5="$5011C,5376521,140800,C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\executable.exe"

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  3. Files

    Created or changed

    2
    1. Evidence 4 of 7: Written fileSeen in the test run

      hosts.check

      c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.check

      Test run
    2. Evidence 5 of 7: Written fileSeen in the test run

      hosts.backup

      c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.backup

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  4. Network

    Hosts contacted

    2
    1. Evidence 6 of 7: Contacted hostSeen in the test run

      www.msftncsi.com

      Contacted during the test run.

      Test run
    2. Evidence 7 of 7: Contacted hostSeen in the test run

      disqus.com

      Contacted during the test run.

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

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

Chapter 04

Technical details

2 of the 62 antivirus engines that checked it flag it; no publisher signature.

Sources checked

Every check behind this verdict

6 sources checked · all complete. Complete means the check returned a usable result; it does not mean the file is safe.

SourceStatusResultChecked
Antivirus enginesVirusTotal · 75 enginesCompleteRisk signal: 2 of 62 engines flagged it · 13 gave no result Details for antivirus engines
Sandbox runVirusTotal sandboxes · C2AE, CAPA, CAPE SandboxCompleteWorth noting: 11 runs: 1 malicious, 1 clean, 9 without a verdict Details for sandbox run
Contacted hostsMalwareTips URL scannerComplete40 contacted hosts checked Details for contacted hosts
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesCompleteRisk signal: 4 community YARA rules (generic only) · 2 MalwareTips behaviour rules Details for signature rules
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompleteNo match

Engines that flagged it 2

  • MalwarebytesRiskWare.Crack
  • WebrootW32.Riskware.Repack

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Nov 6, 2026, 9:20 PM UTC
SHA-256
4aa1a3242c16d6345deb8677d58c3a17f7c1e161379c16c02bfb00651f2bae9d
SHA-1
76e54352d103a750422a1a7ec0061f6c66853137
MD5
3aaba5bb8b02dc860374d8fdad947ea5

About this file

setup.exe says it is Football Manager 2023 Setup (Football Manager 2023), 6.0 MB.

Claims to be
Football Manager 2023 Setup (Football Manager 2023)From the file's own version information, written by whoever built it.
Type and size
Win32 EXE · 6.0 MB
Signer
UnsignedNo code signature.
First seen
Feb 20, 2023On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
1,299 distinct sources
Packer
None detected
Entropy
5.55 of 8

First scanned

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

Short answers to the 6 questions people ask most about this file.

Is setup.exe safe, or is it malware?
setup.exe is rated Suspicious: some signs point to a problem, but nothing confirms it is harmful. 2 of the 62 antivirus engines that checked it flag it. Don't install it unless you're sure where it came from. If you need the software, download a fresh installer from the developer's own website.
What is setup.exe?
setup.exe is a software installer, about 6.0 MB. Its version information says it is “Football Manager 2023 Setup” (Football Manager 2023). Version information is written by whoever built the file, so it is a claim, not proof of who made it. VirusTotal first saw it on Feb 20, 2023.
How many antivirus engines detected setup.exe?
2 of the 62 antivirus engines that checked it flag setup.exe, including Malwarebytes and Webroot. We weigh which engines flagged it and what else the scan found, not just the count.
I already downloaded and installed setup.exe — what should I do?
No infection is confirmed: the rating is a caution, not a malware finding. 1) Check where it came from. If you can't confirm the source, delete it. 2) Run a full scan with your security software. 3) If the scan finds something, follow its removal steps and change passwords you typed on the device since then.
What is the SHA-256 hash of setup.exe?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of setup.exe is 4aa1a3242c16d6345deb8677d58c3a17f7c1e161379c16c02bfb00651f2bae9d, and its MD5 is 3aaba5bb8b02dc860374d8fdad947ea5. 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 Nov 6, 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.

All file reports
Scan another
Check a different file
URL instead?
Check if a link is safe
This report and its SHA-256 fingerprint are public, so the next person who checks the same file gets an instant answer; documents and images are listed by type instead of their file name. A file we had not seen before is uploaded to VirusTotal, whose security partners and subscribers can download it; MalwareTips deletes its own copy after the scan. If you ran this file and are worried, scan your device with up-to-date security software.