Is PowerShell.EXE safe?
No engine detected this executable, and runtime analysis produced no malware verdict, though its unsigned status and unresolved direct-IP contact warrant source verification.
All 75 antivirus engines produced no detection, including 17 tier-1 engines, and the completed sandbox run did not label the activity as malware. The unsigned status, T1562.001 observation, and unresolved contact with 162.159.36.2 justify verifying that this PowerShell executable came from Windows or another trusted source.
8bb6fa8c283b4d9212…59976c8be76a5eRecommended 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.
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 75 antivirus engines produced no detection, including 17 tier-1 engines, and the completed sandbox run did not label the activity as malware. The unsigned status, T1562.001 observation, and unresolved contact with 162.159.36.2 justify verifying that this PowerShell executable came from Windows or another trusted source.
The strongest evidence is the complete absence of detections across 75 engines, with all 17 reporting tier-1 engines remaining silent. One sandbox run observed mostly common system activity and did not produce a malicious runtime verdict. It also recorded T1562.001 and a direct-IP connection to 162.159.36.2, but there is no completed host-reputation cross-check for that address. The executable is unsigned despite using a system-like PowerShell filename, so provenance remains important. No malicious child, packing indicator, malware intelligence hit, or YARA rule match corroborates harmful intent.
What We Detected
None of 75 antivirus engines flagged the executable, including 17 tier-1 engines. Research intelligence returned no MalwareBazaar hit and no YARAify rule match, while PE analysis found neither likely packing nor high-entropy code.
Threat Behavior
One sandbox run observed T1562.001 and a connection to 162.159.36.2, but it produced no malicious sandbox verdict and recorded no persistence indicators. Because contactedHosts is unavailable, no complete reputation result exists for the observed IP. The file is also unsigned, which reduces confidence in its claimed PowerShell identity.
What To Do Now
Confirm that the executable came from Windows, an official installation image, or another trusted administrator-controlled source. Keep endpoint protection enabled and avoid replacing the operating system's PowerShell binary with this copy unless its provenance and hash are independently verified.
Where this verdict could be wrong3 caveats
- The unsigned executable uses the system-like filename PowerShell.EXE, but brandMismatch was not detected and no antivirus engine assigned a threat label.
- T1562.001 and direct communication with 162.159.36.2 can be associated with defense evasion or command-and-control, although the single sandbox issued no malicious verdict.
- contactedHosts=null means no complete host-reputation result is available for the observed IP address.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- 0/75 antivirus engines detected a threat
- 17 tier-1 engines reported no detection
- behaviour.hasMaliciousSandboxVerdict=false
- No persistence indicators or malicious dropped child were recorded
- No MalwareBazaar or YARAify corroboration and peAnalysis.likelyPacked=false
- Unsigned Win32 executable using the system-like name PowerShell.EXE
- Sandbox observed MITRE technique T1562.001
- Direct-IP contact to 162.159.36.2 lacks a completed reputation cross-check
Use the file only if its source is trusted and its hash matches the expected PowerShell binary for the installed Windows version. Keep endpoint protection enabled and quarantine it if provenance cannot be established.
Coverage & freshness
Complete means the check returned a usable result. It does not mean the file is safe.
Antivirus
Complete0 of 75 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
- 15MITRE ATT&CK techniques
- 2spawned processes
- 1network contacts
- 8filesystem & mutex artifacts
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
PowerShell.EXE
8bb6fa8c283b4d92120b1ef249a9b311b0f804d4cabbe9981159976c8be76a5e
01Uploaded file
Processes
Runtime execution
- ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Users\user\Desktop\program.exe"
02Isolated runtime analysis - ProcessObserved
Observed process
C:\Windows\System32\conhost.exe C:\Windows\system32\conhost.exe 0xffffffff -ForceV1
03Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Files
Created or changed
- Written fileObserved
__PSScriptPolicyTest_3wchoiul.ksk.ps1
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\__PSScriptPolicyTest_3wchoiul.ksk.ps1
04Isolated runtime analysis - Written fileObserved
__PSScriptPolicyTest_taii0psm.kin.psm1
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\__PSScriptPolicyTest_taii0psm.kin.psm1
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\__PSScriptPolicyTest_3wchoiul.ksk.ps1
- C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\__PSScriptPolicyTest_taii0psm.kin.psm1
- C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\CustomDestinations
- C:\Windows\system32\catroot
- C:\Windows\system32\catroot2
- C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\__PSScriptPolicyTest_3wchoiul.ksk.ps1
- C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\__PSScriptPolicyTest_taii0psm.kin.psm1
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
- 0 / 75engines flagged
- 62sources in submission history
Why these facts are shown
Each statement identifies whether it was directly recorded or derived from saved scan facts.
- 01
0 of 75 antivirus engines flagged the file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceAntivirus analysisObserved at - 02
The hash has been submitted 86 times from 62 sources.
ProvenanceDerivedSourceSaved report factsObserved at - 03
Scanned file: PowerShell.EXE — 8bb6fa8c283b4d92120b1ef249a9b311b0f804d4cabbe9981159976c8be76a5e
ProvenanceObservedSourceUploaded fileObserved at - 04
Observed process — "C:\Users\user\Desktop\program.exe"
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 05
Observed process — C:\Windows\System32\conhost.exe C:\Windows\system32\conhost.exe 0xffffffff -ForceV1
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 06
File written: __PSScriptPolicyTest_3wchoiul.ksk.ps1 — C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\__PSScriptPolicyTest_3wchoiul.ksk.ps1
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 07
File written: __PSScriptPolicyTest_taii0psm.kin.psm1 — C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\__PSScriptPolicyTest_taii0psm.kin.psm1
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 08
Contacted host: 162.159.36.2 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at
Detection sources at a glance
The available sources did not agree on a named threat category.
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
0 of 75 engines flagged this file
View all 75 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
Moderate prevalence — neither rare nor common. No strong prior applies.
Fingerprint and provenance
- File name
- PowerShell.EXE
- Format
- Win32 EXE
- Code signing
- No verified publisher
- Size
- 484.0 KB
- Last analyzed
- Sep 22, 2026, 5:33 AM UTC
8bb6fa8c283b4d92120b1ef249a9b311b0f804d4cabbe9981159976c8be76a5eSafety & 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.
- Recovery step 01
Run it only when it came from the developer's official site or another source you independently trust.
- Recovery step 02
A clean result reduces known risk, but it cannot guarantee that every new or targeted threat has been detected.
- Recovery step 03
Keep your antivirus and Windows updates switched on so you stay protected.
Safety FAQ
Direct answers grounded in the saved verdict and evidence in this report.
Is PowerShell.EXE safe?
What is PowerShell.EXE?
How many antivirus engines detected PowerShell.EXE?
What is the SHA-256 hash of PowerShell.EXE?
Is it safe to run PowerShell.EXE?
How up to date is this analysis of PowerShell.EXE?
Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.