Is Setup.exe safe?
No antivirus engine detected this widely seen installer, but four YARA matches and offensive runtime techniques warrant caution until its source and network activity are verified.
All 74 antivirus engines were silent, including 17 tier-1 contributors, and the file has substantial long-term prevalence. However, four researcher YARA rules matched and one sandbox mapped activity to process injection, token manipulation, persistence, and defense evasion; host reputation for its direct-IP contacts was not completed.
7123e1514b939b1659…e861fd2888d4abRecommended next actions
Before installing
Do not install it until the source and publisher can be verified independently.
If you already installed it
Stop using it, scan the device, and watch for unexpected behavior or security alerts. Download a fresh installer from the developer's official site or an official app store.
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 74 antivirus engines were silent, including 17 tier-1 contributors, and the file has substantial long-term prevalence. However, four researcher YARA rules matched and one sandbox mapped activity to process injection, token manipulation, persistence, and defense evasion; host reputation for its direct-IP contacts was not completed.
The strongest reassuring evidence is the 0/74 engine result, including no detections from 17 tier-1 contributors, combined with broad prevalence dating to 2023. Static analysis found no likely packing or high-entropy code, and the sandbox did not issue a malware judgment. Against that, four researcher YARA rules matched, including a ransomware-associated rule and TLS callback indicators. The completed sandbox also mapped seven offensive techniques, notably T1055 process injection and T1562.001 defense impairment, although technique mappings do not establish intent by themselves. Direct-IP contacts cannot be fully assessed because no complete host-reputation cross-check is available. These conflicting signals justify isolation and source verification rather than unrestricted execution.
What We Detected
None of 74 antivirus engines flagged the executable, and all 17 tier-1 contributors reported no detection. The sample is also well established, with 3,662 submitting sources and 136,674 submissions since September 2023. Static PE analysis found no likely packer or high-entropy executable code, but the file has no digital signature.
Threat Behavior
One completed sandbox run mapped seven offensive techniques, including T1055 process injection, T1134.004 token impersonation, T1547.001 registry-run-key persistence, and T1562.001 defense impairment. Four researcher YARA rules matched, including VECT_Ransomware and TLS callback checks, but no antivirus family consensus, ransomware activity, or malicious sandbox judgment corroborated a specific family. The sample contacted multiple IP addresses directly; because contactedHosts is unavailable, no complete reputation assessment exists for those endpoints. Ten dropped files were inspected without a malicious child finding, although their individual verdicts remain unknown.
What To Do Now
Do not run this executable on a production or personal system until its origin and expected product are confirmed. Keep endpoint protection enabled, obtain the installer from the official vendor channel, and compare its SHA-256 value with a publisher-provided checksum before use.
Where this verdict could be wrong5 caveats
- All 17 tier-1 contributors, including Avast, BitDefender, ESET-NOD32, Kaspersky, and Fortinet, reported no detection within the 0/74 engine result.
- behaviour.hasMaliciousSandboxVerdict=false, and droppedChildren.hasMaliciousChild=false; however, all 10 inspected children have unknown verdicts.
- The file is unsigned under signing.signed=false, but unsigned status alone does not establish harmful intent.
- The file has broad, long-term prevalence—3,662 sources and 136,674 submissions—which is atypical for an unrecognized, narrowly distributed threat.
- The 'VECT_Ransomware' YARA match may be broad or incidental because no ransomware behavior or engine-family consensus corroborates it.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- 0/74 antivirus engines reported a malicious or suspicious result.
- All 17 tier-1 contributors reported no detection.
- The file has 3,662 sources and 136,674 submissions dating to 2023.
- behaviour.hasMaliciousSandboxVerdict=false.
- peAnalysis.highEntropyCode=false and peAnalysis.likelyPacked=false.
- Four YARAify rules matched, including 'VECT_Ransomware' and TLS callback indicators.
- Seven offensive behavior mappings include T1055 process injection and T1562.001 defense impairment.
- Direct-IP network activity lacks a complete contacted-host reputation check.
- The Win32 executable is unsigned.
- All 10 inspected dropped children remain individually unclassified.
- File reputation is -49 despite broad prevalence.
Quarantine the file pending confirmation from its official publisher and checksum verification. If it was already executed, keep security protection enabled and run a full system scan while reviewing account activity.
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
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
- 36MITRE ATT&CK techniques
- 15spawned processes
- 20network contacts
- 40filesystem & mutex artifacts
What this file does
Observed actions and their security significance
High concern: Created or modified a scheduled task, which can provide persistence.
High concern: Injected code into another process, a technique that can conceal execution.
High concern: Used an input-capture technique that can record credentials or keystrokes.
High concern: Changed an auto-start location that can make code run after sign-in or restart.
High concern: Attempted to impair or bypass security controls.
High concern: Manipulated how the operating system loads code, which can redirect execution.
High concern: Loaded code directly into memory instead of from a normal file.
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
Setup.exe
7123e1514b939b165985560057fe3c761440a9fff9783a3b84e861fd2888d4ab
01Uploaded file
Processes
Runtime execution
- ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\software.exe"
02Isolated runtime analysis - ProcessObserved
Observed process
C:\Windows\system32\WerFault.exe -u -p 7052 -s 456
03Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Files
Created or changed
- Written fileObserved
Temp
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp
04Isolated runtime analysis - Written fileObserved
d8d75f25-92c6-4dd1-818b-347eff18d8c8
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\d8d75f25-92c6-4dd1-818b-347eff18d8c8
05Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Network
Hosts contacted
- Contacted hostObserved
23.216.147.73
Contact observed during runtime.
06Isolated runtime analysis - Contacted hostObserved
20.99.186.246
Contact observed during runtime.
07Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
7 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.
- 23.216.147.73
- 20.99.186.246
- 192.229.211.108
- 20.99.133.109
- 23.216.147.64
- a83f:8110:0:0:a8ef:0:0:0
- 23.216.147.61
- 104.86.182.74
- 23.216.147.71
- a83f:8110:0:0:1400:1400:2800:3800
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\d8d75f25-92c6-4dd1-818b-347eff18d8c8
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\c51be930-c9cd-4efe-b5ff-fa475d9c1135
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC97A.tmp
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERD12B.tmp
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERD301.tmp
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC97A.tmp.dmp
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERD12B.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
- Local\WERReportingForProcess7052
- Global\AmiProviderMutex_InventoryApplicationFile
- Global\1fda8955-005d-461d-bb30-a60e634d4bec
- \Sessions\1\BaseNamedObjects\Local\WERReportingForProcess7212
- \Sessions\1\BaseNamedObjects\Global\AmiProviderMutex_InventoryApplicationFile
Files this sample writes at runtime
This file drops 10 children at runtime. None are currently flagged malicious in our cache.
- a81475c9d68ada14e673…5c2366Never scannednever seen before
- ddcb4772b3d99acc8f8a…e933a3Never scannednever seen before
- 3aad9ef6e785e1f073b2…a4e5faNever scannednever seen before
- 2581ff8d21062c692644…fec3f4Never scannednever seen before
- 0cf259512a8163cca6aa…3adca7Never scannednever seen before
- 905d9f014d7de681a0f0…bc45f5Never scannednever seen before
- a755d76dec60f7507a1a…54b69dNever scannednever seen before
- 2095341574abd0901e75…627e0cNever scannednever seen before
- 6523687811e294539002…ee17fcNever scannednever seen before
- 5a6381509182edae1f03…5b0b78Never 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.
- 6rule hits recorded
- 0 / 74engines flagged
- 3,662sources in submission history
Why these facts are shown
Each statement identifies whether it was directly recorded or derived from saved scan facts.
- 01
5 high-confidence signature or behavior rules matched this file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceDerivedSourceSignature and behavior rulesObserved at - 02
0 of 74 antivirus engines flagged the file.
ProvenanceObservedSourceAntivirus analysisObserved at - 03
The hash has a long, established submission history across 3,662 sources.
ProvenanceDerivedSourceSubmission historyObserved at - 04
Scanned file: Setup.exe — 7123e1514b939b165985560057fe3c761440a9fff9783a3b84e861fd2888d4ab
ProvenanceObservedSourceUploaded fileObserved at - 05
Observed process — "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\software.exe"
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 06
Observed process — C:\Windows\system32\WerFault.exe -u -p 7052 -s 456
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 07
File written: Temp — C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 08
File written: d8d75f25-92c6-4dd1-818b-347eff18d8c8 — C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\d8d75f25-92c6-4dd1-818b-347eff18d8c8
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 09
Contacted host: 23.216.147.73 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 10
Contacted host: 20.99.186.246 — 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.
- golang_bin_JCorn_CSC846
- HUNTING_SUSP_TLS_SECTION
- pe_detect_tls_callbacks
- VECT_Ransomware
The saved runtime evidence maps this activity to MITRE T1055 (Process Injection). The mapping supports possible process injection, but it does not prove the exact injection method or the operator's intent.
Evidence"C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\software.exe"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.
Evidence23.216.147.73 · 20.99.186.246 · 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
- Setup.exe
- Format
- Win32 EXE
- Code signing
- No verified publisher
- Size
- 102.0 KB
- Last analyzed
- Sep 15, 2026, 1:14 PM UTC
7123e1514b939b165985560057fe3c761440a9fff9783a3b84e861fd2888d4abSafety & 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 install 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 file and use a fresh copy from a trusted source. Download a fresh installer from the developer's official site or an official app store.
- 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 Setup.exe safe, or is it malware?
What is Setup.exe?
How many antivirus engines detected Setup.exe?
What should I do if I already installed Setup.exe?
How do I remove Setup.exe?
What is the SHA-256 hash of Setup.exe?
How up to date is this analysis of Setup.exe?
Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.