Is sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip safe?
Only 3 of 74 engines flagged this widely circulated updater, but defense-impairment behavior and an unchecked direct-IP connection justify caution.
Three of 74 engines raised inconsistent game-hack, generic, or hack-tool labels, while all 17 reporting tier-1 engines found nothing. One sandbox observed defense-impairment behavior and direct-IP traffic, but produced no malware verdict, and the contacted address lacks a completed reputation check.
5e667f54178a403860…6c309d16fcce0dRecommended next actions
Before opening or extracting
Do not open or extract it until the source can be verified independently.
If you already opened or extracted it
Stop using it, scan the device, and watch for unexpected behavior or security alerts. Get a fresh copy from the original trusted source and verify its exact hash when possible.
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.
Three of 74 engines raised inconsistent game-hack, generic, or hack-tool labels, while all 17 reporting tier-1 engines found nothing. One sandbox observed defense-impairment behavior and direct-IP traffic, but produced no malware verdict, and the contacted address lacks a completed reputation check.
The engine pattern is weak: 3 of 74 engines flagged the archive, no tier-1 engine detected it, and there is no family consensus. The hack-tool labels do not satisfy the required corroboration threshold, while broad circulation across 2,131 sources makes an obscure new threat less likely. One sandbox nevertheless observed T1562.001 and contact with 162.159.36.2, which creates a meaningful behavioral concern. No sandbox malware verdict or confirmed malicious child was recorded, although every inspected child remains individually unresolved. No complete host-reputation result is available because the contacted-host cross-check was not saved.
What We Detected
Three of 74 antivirus engines flagged the ZIP archive. Panda used a PUP/Gamehack label, TrellixENS used the generic Artemis label, and Webroot reported a hack-tool label; none of the 17 reporting tier-1 engines detected it, and the evidence does not confirm a specific family or hacktool.
Threat Behavior
One sandbox run recorded T1562.001, associated with impairing defenses, plus direct communication with 162.159.36.2. The run did not produce a malware verdict or persistence indicators. The contacted-host reputation check is unavailable, so the no complete contacted-host reputation result was available or malicious from this evidence. Ten child files were inspected without a confirmed malicious result, but their individual verdicts remain unknown.
What To Do Now
Obtain the updater only from a trusted, verifiable source and keep endpoint protection enabled. If its origin cannot be verified, avoid running it on a primary system and quarantine or remove it pending deeper inspection of the embedded executable and child files.
Where this verdict could be wrong4 caveats
- Panda, TrellixENS, and Webroot flagged the file, including game-hack and hack-tool terminology, although no tier-1 engine corroborated those labels.
- The sandbox recorded T1562.001, an impairment-of-defenses technique that warrants caution.
- MalwareTips.Synth.DirectIpC2 fired for 162.159.36.2, but contactedHosts=null means the address did not receive a completed reputation cross-check.
- All 10 inspected child files have unknown individual verdicts, so hasMaliciousChild=false does not establish that they are benign.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- All 17 reporting tier-1 engines were clean.
- No tier-1 family consensus or confirmed hacktool label exists.
- The sandbox produced no malicious verdict or persistence indicators.
- No inspected child was confirmed malicious.
- The file has 2,845 submissions from 2,131 sources over 214 days.
- Three antivirus detections include PUP/Gamehack and hack-tool terminology.
- One sandbox observed T1562.001 defense-impairment behavior.
- Direct communication with 162.159.36.2 lacks a completed reputation cross-check.
- The ZIP contains executable content and launches an updater from a temporary directory.
- All 10 inspected child files remain individually unresolved.
Verify the archive's source and checksum before use; if either cannot be established, quarantine it and avoid execution. Keep antivirus and endpoint protection enabled.
Coverage & freshness
Complete means the check returned a usable result. It does not mean the file is safe.
Antivirus
Complete3 of 74 engines flagged the file.
Sandbox
Complete1 isolated runtime environment contributed observations.
Network
Partial1 runtime contact was observed without a completed reputation cross-check.
YARA
Complete1 signature or behavior rule 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
- 5MITRE ATT&CK techniques
- 5spawned processes
- 1network contacts
- 16filesystem & mutex artifacts
What this file does
Observed actions and their security significance
High concern: Attempted to impair or bypass security controls.
Moderate concern: Communicated over a common application protocol; malware can use this for command-and-control.
Moderate concern: Checked the environment for virtualisation or analysis tools.
Note: Collects details about your system.
These are observed capabilities from an isolated analysis. A technique does not prove malicious intent on its own, and the file never ran on your device.
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
sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip
5e667f54178a403860f0ba0f609e85f519863713a3e17cb5aa6c309d16fcce0d
01Uploaded file
Processes
Runtime execution
- ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.exe"
02Isolated runtime analysis - ProcessObserved
Observed process
sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.exe
03Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Files
Created or changed
- Written fileObserved
mfc140u.dll
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI68522\Pythonwin\mfc140u.dll
04Isolated runtime analysis - Written fileObserved
win32ui.pyd
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI68522\Pythonwin\win32ui.pyd
05Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Network
Hosts contacted
- Contacted hostObserved
162.159.36.2
Contact observed during runtime.
06Isolated runtime analysis
6 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
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI68522\Pythonwin\mfc140u.dll
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI68522\Pythonwin\win32ui.pyd
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI68522\VCRUNTIME140.dll
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI68522\VCRUNTIME140_1.dll
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI68522\_asyncio.pyd
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\iwk9lu7s
Files this sample writes at runtime
This file drops 10 children at runtime. None are currently flagged malicious in our cache.
- 21baa6669389d8284059…14844dNever scannednever seen before
- 360b2c9242365d6c0fda…be3d9aNever scannednever seen before
- cd2f60075064dfc2e65c…356b08Never scannednever seen before
- 2f4d915840c287c54188…066384Never scannednever seen before
- 036c32dc38a30a7f09ce…68d72dNever scannednever seen before
- ef59713151ac9ee78e13…470e48Never scannednever seen before
- 4a9d4a76514f399a9652…e2336dNever scannednever seen before
- d2a7999e234e33828888…723b6fNever scannednever seen before
- 34048abaa070ecc13b31…8c8b32Never scannednever seen before
- 602c4c7482de6479dd2e…8fb4fbNever scannednever seen before
Detection & Forensics
Consensus, attribution, signatures, code structure, prevalence, and identity.
Evidence integrity
Chain of custody for the facts preserved in this report.
- 1rule hit recorded
- 3 / 74engines flagged
- 2,131sources in submission history
Why these facts are shown
Each statement identifies whether it was directly recorded or derived from saved scan facts.
- 01
3 of 74 antivirus engines flagged the file, including Panda and TrellixENS.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceAntivirus analysisObserved at - 02
The hash has a long, established submission history across 2,131 sources.
ProvenanceDerivedSourceSubmission historyObserved at - 03
The hash has been submitted 2,845 times from 2,131 sources.
ProvenanceDerivedSourceSaved report factsObserved at - 04
Scanned file: sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip — 5e667f54178a403860f0ba0f609e85f519863713a3e17cb5aa6c309d16fcce0d
ProvenanceObservedSourceUploaded fileObserved at - 05
Observed process — "C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.exe"
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 06
Observed process — sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.exe
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 07
File written: mfc140u.dll — C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI68522\Pythonwin\mfc140u.dll
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 08
File written: win32ui.pyd — C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI68522\Pythonwin\win32ui.pyd
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 09
Contacted host: 162.159.36.2 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at
Detection sources at a glance
Category: pua
MalwareBazaar, YARAify, and CIRCL hashlookup completed and returned no entries for this hash.
Signatures and behavior heuristics
Low-severity pattern matches — worth noting but not on their own cause for alarm.
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
3 of 74 engines flagged this file
View all 74 engine results
PE structure
Not applicablePE structure analysis applies to Windows executable formats, not this file type.
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
- sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip
- Format
- ZIP
- Code signing
- Not applicable to this file type
- Size
- 23.2 MB
- Last analyzed
- Sep 19, 2026, 4:01 PM UTC
5e667f54178a403860f0ba0f609e85f519863713a3e17cb5aa6c309d16fcce0dSafety & FAQ
Complete recovery guidance and answers for the next decision.
What to do now
We couldn't fully clear this file. Treat it with caution.
- Recovery step 01
Don't open or extract it unless you're certain it came from a source you trust.
- Recovery step 02
Check where you got it — an unexpected attachment or a random download link is a red flag.
- Recovery step 03
If its origin cannot be confirmed, delete this archive and use a fresh copy from a trusted source. Get a fresh copy from the original trusted source and verify its exact hash when possible.
- Recovery step 04
If you're still unsure, scan it again in a day or two — detections often catch up on newer files.
Safety FAQ
Direct answers grounded in the saved verdict and evidence in this report.
Is sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip safe, or is it malware?
What is sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip?
How many antivirus engines detected sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip?
I already downloaded and opened or extracted sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip — what should I do?
How do I remove sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip?
What kind of malware is sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip?
What is the SHA-256 hash of sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip?
How up to date is this analysis of sims-4-updater-v2.5.3.zip?
Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.