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Verdict Safe

Analyzed , 1 month ago

Is dxsetup.exe safe? Yes, no threats found.

The verified Microsoft-signed DirectX installer drew no detections from 75 engines and has extensive distribution history dating back to 2011.

Read the whole reasonShow less

Strong evidence · A verified publisher signature, and no engine flags it.

Run it as usual if it came from the official source

Good practice2 tips

We found nothing harmful in this file.

  1. Run it only if it came from the developer's own website or an official app store.

  2. Keep your antivirus and Windows updates switched on.

No scanner can promise a file is 100% safe.

Why we think so

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dxsetup.exe: Safe — MalwareTips file scan

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

Reads the latest antivirus results for this file's hash. Nothing is uploaded.

Antivirus results

0 of 71 flagged

  • Flagged 0
  • No detection 71
  • No result 4
Filedxsetup.exe518.0 kBSHA-256 8f47d7121ef6…14e40d
  • Code signing Microsoft Corporation
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 15y ago
None of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag it.

Chapter 02

Why we think so

4 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

The file carries a verified Microsoft Corporation signature, and none of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it detected it. Its long history, broad prevalence, and five matching publisher-based prior assessments strongly support a legitimate DirectX installer, although broad behavioral and YARA matches justify obtaining it from an official source.

Where this verdict could be wrong4 caveats
  • 4 community YARA rules matched, including Check_OutputDebugStringA_iat and golang_bin_JCorn_CSC846, provides researcher-rule counter-evidence, although none names a malware family.
  • The sandbox's offensive-technique list includes T1055, T1134, T1543.003, and T1562.001; these mappings warrant caution despite the absence of a malicious sandbox conclusion.
  • The cross-check of 1 host does not cover every distinct IP and URL listed under behaviour, so no complete host-reputation result is available.
  • signing.signerStats records 1 malicious result among 16 Microsoft Corporation samples, although 15/16 were safe.

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 · 5 complete · 1 partial. 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
  • 25sandbox rule tags
  • 8spawned processes
  • 5network contacts
  • 40filesystem & mutex artifacts

Chapter 04

Technical details

None of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag it; signed by Microsoft Corporation.

Sources checked

Every check behind this verdict

6 sources checked · 5 complete · 1 partial. Complete means the check returned a usable result; it does not mean the file is safe.

SourceStatusResultChecked
Antivirus enginesVirusTotal · 75 enginesCompletePositive signal: 0 of 71 engines flagged it · 4 gave no result Details for antivirus engines
Sandbox runVirusTotal sandboxesCompleteRuntime behaviour was recorded Details for sandbox run
Contacted hostsMalwareTips URL scannerPartial1 of 12 contacted hosts were cross-checked; coverage is incomplete Details for contacted hosts
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesComplete4 community YARA rules (generic only) · 1 MalwareTips behaviour rule Details for signature rules
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompletePositive signal: Known software (Corel VideoStudio X8 PRO)

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Sep 10, 2026, 8:38 PM UTC
SHA-256
8f47d7121ef6532ad9ad9901e44e237f5c30448b752028c58a9d19521414e40d
SHA-1
9fd00f3bb8a870112dae464f555fcd5e7f9200c0
MD5
bf3f290275c21bdd3951955c9c3cf32c

About this file

dxsetup.exe is a Win32 EXE file of 518.0 kB.

Type and size
Win32 EXE · 518.0 kB
Signer
Microsoft CorporationValid code signature.
First seen
Apr 19, 2011On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
3,722 distinct sources
Packer
None detected
Entropy
7.39 of 8

First scanned

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

Short answers to the 7 questions people ask most about this file.

Is dxsetup.exe safe?
We found nothing harmful in dxsetup.exe. None of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag it. It has a valid digital signature from Microsoft Corporation. Run it only if it came from the developer's own website or an official app store.
What is dxsetup.exe?
dxsetup.exe is a Windows program, about 518.0 kB. It carries no version information saying what it is or who made it. VirusTotal first saw it on Apr 19, 2011.
How many antivirus engines detected dxsetup.exe?
None of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag dxsetup.exe. That is a good sign, but not proof, so we also weigh who made it, how widely it is used and what it did in a test run.
Is dxsetup.exe digitally signed?
Yes. dxsetup.exe has a valid digital signature from Microsoft Corporation, which shows the file hasn't been changed since that publisher signed it. Malware is sometimes signed with stolen certificates, so a signature alone isn't proof of safety.
What is the SHA-256 hash of dxsetup.exe?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of dxsetup.exe is 8f47d7121ef6532ad9ad9901e44e237f5c30448b752028c58a9d19521414e40d, and its MD5 is bf3f290275c21bdd3951955c9c3cf32c. 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.
Is it safe to run dxsetup.exe?
We found nothing harmful in dxsetup.exe, and its digital signature checks out. The main caveat is where you got it: attackers sometimes spread malware under the name of real software, so get it from the official website. If your own antivirus warns about it, check the source before you ignore the warning.
How up to date is this analysis of dxsetup.exe?
This report reflects the scan on Sep 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.

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Other files people checked with the same signer. A matching signer does not make two files the same: only the SHA-256 fingerprint identifies a file.

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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.