File scan report

Verdict Malicious

Analyzed , 15 days ago

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

Microsoft confirms game-hacking functionality, while 29 of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag the unsigned executable and evidence from the test run records injection…

Read the whole reasonShow less

Strong evidence · Two or more major antivirus engines agree.

Remove it unless you use it on purpose

Keep it only if you installed it on purpose for security testing. Otherwise delete it and run a full antivirus scan.

What to do now4 steps

This is a hacking tool. It is risky to keep and run, but finding it is not by itself a sign that the device is infected.

What to do

  1. Don't run it unless you got it on purpose for security testing on systems you own. Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin.

  2. If you didn't put it on the device yourself, delete it and run a full antivirus scan: something else may have brought it.

  3. Tools like this often come with cracked or pirated software. If it came that way, treat the whole download as unsafe and scan everything it installed.

If you already ran it

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

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.

Antivirus results

29 of 71 flagged

  • Flagged 29
  • No detection 42
  • No result 4
FilePvZTrainer.exe17.4 kBSHA-256 8f0dcb0ac6bd…984fac
  • Code signing Unsigned
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 3y ago
It has a long history: seen by 103 sources over more than six months.

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

Microsoft identifies the executable as GameHack, satisfying the corroborated hacking tool criterion, and 29 of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag it across 23 independent detections.

Where this verdict could be wrong4 caveats
  • The completed sandbox run returned clean and recorded no high-risk MITRE techniques.
  • The file is established rather than with 103 submitters and 108 submissions.
  • No packer or high-entropy code was identified, and no malicious file it created was recorded.
  • MalwareBazaar and YARAify supplied no corroborating hit, while the Jaik family attribution lacks strong major consensus.

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

Test run summary

Capture complete
  • 5sandbox rule tags
  • 3spawned processes
  • 0network contacts
  • 14filesystem & mutex artifacts

What the test run showed

What the file did on a test computer

Confirmed in the test run

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

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

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

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

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as recording keystrokes; no keylogging was confirmed.

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as contacting a server, but no contacted host 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 hacking tools are used

Hacking tools are programs that can switch off security software, test passwords or attack other computers. Security professionals use them on purpose; criminals also bundle them with malware.

Bottom line:Keep it only if you installed it on purpose, and check how it got onto the device if you didn't.

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 4: FileSeen in the test run

      PvZTrainer.exe

      8f0dcb0ac6bddb06e80b3664608b8efc1c18dc0420eb39ac7a86a3e0b8984fac

      Uploaded file
  2. Processes

    What ran

    2
    1. Evidence 2 of 4: ProcessSeen in the test run

      software.exe

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

      Test run
    2. Evidence 3 of 4: ProcessSeen in the test run

      PvZTrainer.exe

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation
  3. Files

    Created or changed

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

      Connect

      \Device\ConDrv\\Connect

      Test run

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

Chapter 04

Technical details

29 of the 71 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: 29 of 71 engines flagged it · 4 gave no result Details for antivirus engines
Sandbox runVirusTotal sandboxesCompleteCombined summary: clean verdict Details for sandbox run
Contacted hostsMalwareTips URL scannerComplete8 contacted hosts checked
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesCompleteNo rule matched
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompleteNo match

Engines that flagged it 29

  • BitDefender (major engine)Gen:Variant.Jaik.292588
  • Emsisoft (major engine)Gen:Variant.Jaik.292588 (B)
  • GData (major engine)Gen:Variant.Jaik.292588
  • Microsoft (major engine)HackTool:Win32/GameHack!MTB
  • Sophos (major engine)Generic Reputation PUA (PUA)
  • Symantec (major engine)Trojan.Gen.MBT
  • TrellixENS (major engine)Artemis!CAF49018D291
  • TrendMicro-HouseCall (major engine)TROJ_GEN.R002H09FL25
21 more in the full engine list

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Oct 10, 2026, 8:39 PM UTC
SHA-256
8f0dcb0ac6bddb06e80b3664608b8efc1c18dc0420eb39ac7a86a3e0b8984fac
SHA-1
00b15659892f459a38b7a12e975da84f9e695f15
MD5
caf49018d291a09f4b30d895a3b2f6a9

About this file

PvZTrainer.exe is a Win32 EXE file of 17.4 kB.

Type and size
Win32 EXE · 17.4 kB
Signer
UnsignedNo code signature.
First seen
Jan 16, 2023On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
103 distinct sources
Packer
None detected
Entropy
5.38 of 8

First scanned

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

Short answers to the 8 questions people ask most about this file.

Is PvZTrainer.exe a virus?
PvZTrainer.exe is a hacking tool. It is flagged because it can be misused, not because it infects a device by itself. Keep it only if you use it on purpose; otherwise, delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin. 29 of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag it.
What is PvZTrainer.exe?
PvZTrainer.exe is a Windows program, about 17.4 kB. It carries no version information saying what it is or who made it. VirusTotal first saw it on Jan 16, 2023.
How many antivirus engines detected PvZTrainer.exe?
29 of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag PvZTrainer.exe, including Microsoft and Bitdefender. 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.
What should I do if I already ran PvZTrainer.exe?
1) If you ran it on purpose, for testing on systems you own, remove it when you are done. 2) If you didn't download it yourself, delete it and run a full antivirus scan: something else may have brought it. 3) If it came with cracked or pirated software, treat that whole download as unsafe, scan everything it installed and change passwords you typed on the device since.
How do I remove PvZTrainer.exe?
To remove PvZTrainer.exe: 1) Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin. 2) Run a full scan with your antivirus to check that nothing else came with it. 3) Check Settings > Apps and your startup apps for anything you don't recognise.
What kind of program is PvZTrainer.exe?
Antivirus engines classify PvZTrainer.exe as a hacking tool: a program that can switch off security software, test passwords or attack other computers.
What is the SHA-256 hash of PvZTrainer.exe?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of PvZTrainer.exe is 8f0dcb0ac6bddb06e80b3664608b8efc1c18dc0420eb39ac7a86a3e0b8984fac, and its MD5 is caf49018d291a09f4b30d895a3b2f6a9. 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 PvZTrainer.exe?
This report reflects the scan on Oct 10, 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.

Recent reports on other files with the same rating.

All file reports
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.