File scan report
Verdict Safe
Is MSPAINT.
Unsigned but widely submitted Windows executable matching a known Microsoft mspaint path with zero engine detections.
Read the whole reasonShow less
Strong evidence · Widely seen for a long time, and nothing harmful found.
Allow the file if located in standard Windows directories; otherwise replace it from official Microsoft sources.
Good practice2 tips
We found nothing harmful in this file.
Run it only if it came from the developer's own website or an official app store.
Keep your antivirus and Windows updates switched on.
No scanner can promise a file is 100% safe.
Reads the latest antivirus results for this file's hash. Nothing is uploaded.
Antivirus results
0 of 70 flagged
- Flagged 0
- No detection 70
- No result 5
- Code signing Unsigned
- Test run Completed
- First seen 5y ago
Chapter 02
Why we think so
3 points against it and 4 in its favour, checked against the scan evidence.
The reasoning behind this verdict
Zero of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flagged the file. External intelligence links it to a legitimate Windows system component path. Sandbox behaviour shows some suspicious techniques but no malicious verdicts or children.
The complete absence of malicious detections across major and smaller engines combined with a CIRCL hit pointing to a Microsoft WinSxS mspaint.exe location strongly indicates a legitimate system file. No dropped malicious files it created or malicious sandbox consensus exist. The file therefore aligns with a clean classification despite minor behavioural anomalies.
What We Detected
External CIRCL intelligence matched the file to the Microsoft Windows component path amd64_microsoft-windows-mspaint_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.746_none_6c16d1714d60fddf/mspaint.exe. The binary is unsigned and contacted 19 external IPs without using DNS.
Threat Behavior
Sandbox execution recorded MITRE techniques T1003 (OS Credential Dumping) and T1547.001 (Boot or Logon Autostart Execution) plus direct-IP network activity. Ten dropped files were inspected; none were malicious. No persistence mechanisms or registry modifications were observed.
What To Do Now
The file can be treated as a legitimate Windows component. Verify its location against C:\Windows\System32 or WinSxS directories. If the file appears outside expected system paths, replace it from a trusted Windows source.
Where this verdict could be wrong2 caveats
- Unsigned file with direct-IP contacts (19 IPs, 0 domains) and MITRE T1003/could indicate greyware or modified binary despite the CIRCL Microsoft path match.
- Multiple communityComments flag the sample as SUSPICIOUS with tags evasive/greyware, though none cite a malware family.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- Zero malicious engine detections
- CIRCL match to known Microsoft mspaint.exe path
- Common_old prevalence with hundreds of submissions
- No malicious files it created or sandbox verdicts
- Unsigned binary
- Direct-IP network contacts without DNS
- and observed in sandbox
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- 18sandbox rule tags
- 3spawned processes
- 5network contacts
- 20filesystem & mutex artifacts
What this file did when executed
This file was run in a sandbox and its runtime behaviour was observed.
Techniques observed in the sandbox
18MITRE ATT&CK techniques the sandbox mapped. Highlighted ones are rare in normal software; the others are common in legitimate programs too.
- T1003· Credential theft
- T1012
- T1027· Obfuscated code
- T1036
- T1056.001· Keylogging
- T1057· Lists programs
- T1071· Application protocol
- T1082· System recon
- T1083· Scans your files
- T1112
- T1113
- T1129· Loads modules
- T1222
- T1497.002· Sandbox evasion
- T1518· Checks your AV
- T1547.001· Auto-start
- T1614
- T1614.001
Observed activity
Processes started
3Programs the file ran, with their command lines.
MSPAINT.EXE"C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\MSPAINT.EXE"MSPAINT.EXE%SAMPLEPATH%\MSPAINT.EXE94aa32a2c9c1d2db78318d9c68262c2f834abe26b6e9a661700324b55fdd5709.exe%SAMPLEPATH%\94aa32a2c9c1d2db78318d9c68262c2f834abe26b6e9a661700324b55fdd5709.exe
Network contacts
55 hosts, listed as 5 addresses. Links show the host and path only.
- IP address
74.125.69.94 - IP address
209.197.3.8 - IP address
168.62.240.75 - IP address
23.40.197.184 - IP address
52.184.206.73
Files
17Files the file created, changed or deleted.
- Written
C:\Windows\debug\WIA\wiatrace.log - Written
C:\Windows\Debug\WIA - Deleted
C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Crypto\Keys\de7cf8a7901d2ad13e5c67c29e5d1662_cbbb49d6-b7ff-44ca-aba5-8a5e250d4d42 - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WEREC05.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERED0F.tmp.csv - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERED6E.tmp.txt
Show all 17 entries for files
- Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER2546.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER2557.tmp.csv - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER2558.tmp.txt - Deleted
C:\Windows\System32\spp\store\2.0\cache\cache.dat - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER409E.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER40AF.tmp.csv - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER40C0.tmp.txt - Deleted
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\IE\KLT1I0ZU\update50[1].xml - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER903.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER9CE.tmp.csv - Deleted
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER9FE.tmp.txt
Mutexes
2Named locks a program uses so only one copy runs; malware families often reuse them.
Global\WIATRACE_MUTEX\Sessions\1\BaseNamedObjects\Global\WIATRACE_MUTEX
Sandbox background — not the file
23The analysis machine's own processes and connections, recorded in every run.
- VM process
services.exeC:\Windows\system32\services.exe - VM process
svchost.exeC:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe -k imgsvc - VM process
svchost.exeC:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe -k LocalSystemNetworkRestricted -p -s DeviceAssociationService - VM process
wuapihost.exeC:\Windows\System32\wuapihost.exe - VM process
UI0Detect.exeC:\Windows\System32\UI0Detect.exe - VM process
updater.exeC:\Program Files\Google324_2079913268\bin\updater.exe
Show all 23 entries for sandbox background — not the file
- VM process
updater.exeC:\Program Files\Google3084_174539222\bin\updater.exe - VM process
updater.exeC:\Program Files\Google3588_1434579710\bin\updater.exe - VM host
204.79.197.203 - VM host
192.168.0.84 - VM host
a83f:8110:0:0:1b00:100:2800:0 - VM host
a83f:8110:8102:0:f801:67a3:8102:0 - VM host
23.216.147.76 - VM host
20.62.24.77 - VM host
a83f:8110:0:0:1400:1400:2800:3800 - VM host
23.216.147.64 - VM host
a83f:8110:100:0:0:0:e00:0 - VM host
20.99.132.105 - VM host
a83f:8110:0:0:100:0:1800:0 - VM host
a83f:8110:0:0:5800:0:0:0 - VM host
20.99.133.109 - VM host
a83f:8110:0:0:100:0:0:0 - VM host
20.99.184.37
Files this sample writes at runtime
This file drops 10 children at runtime. None are currently flagged malicious in our cache. 10 have no saved verdict and were not checked; that is missing coverage, not a finding.
- 91057b27acd3a65af4e7…71dcefNot checkedno saved verdict
- 4cb7bac71da39bc46e40…c8aba2Not checkedno saved verdict
- 1864150a191097714a3d…27a78aNot checkedno saved verdict
- 2f4330caacfdb8cabde1…f0a5c8Not checkedno saved verdict
- edc8dc0f4532b08f74a4…f8e90cNot checkedno saved verdict
- 2575699810fbe4efbc8c…c47ddbNot checkedno saved verdict
- 51010046f60b2cff329c…cc6cbdNot checkedno saved verdict
- 4c6e4af9922a05c7ddb6…bdb634Not checkedno saved verdict
- 0805e87465808e076afb…12fa4aNot checkedno saved verdict
- 552d7566e3f6f765e269…790b22Not checkedno saved verdict
Chapter 04
Technical details
None of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag it; no publisher signature.
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.
File fingerprint
- Last analyzed
- Jul 9, 2026, 9:24 AM UTC
- SHA-256
94aa32a2c9c1d2db78318d9c68262c2f834abe26b6e9a661700324b55fdd5709- SHA-1
2098e4b62eaab213cbee73ba40fe4f1b8901a782- MD5
f221a4ccafec690101c59f726c95b646
About this file
MSPAINT.EXE is a Win32 EXE file of 988.2 kB.
- Type and size
- Win32 EXE · 988.2 kB
- Signer
- UnsignedNo code signature.
- First seen
- Jan 13, 2021On VirusTotal.
- Submitted by
- 351 distinct sources
- Packer
- None detected
- Entropy
- 5.78 of 8
First scanned
Antivirus consensus
0 of 70 engines flagged this file
5 of the 75 engines returned no result for this file (file type not supported, or the scan did not finish), so they did not check it.
- Tier-117 engines0flagged
- Tier-236 engines0flagged
- Low-trust17 engines0flagged
View all 75 engine results
- AcronisClean
- AhnLab-V3Clean
- AlibabaClean
- alibabacloudClean
- ALYacClean
- Antiy-AVLClean
- APEXClean
- ArcabitClean
- AvastClean
- Avast-MobileNo result
- AVGClean
- AviraClean
- BitDefenderClean
- BitDefenderFalxNo result
- BkavClean
- CAT-QuickHealClean
- ClamAVClean
- CMCClean
- CrowdStrikeClean
- CTXClean
- CylanceClean
- CynetClean
- DeepInstinctClean
- DrWebClean
- ElasticClean
- EmsisoftClean
- ESET-NOD32Clean
- F-SecureClean
- FortinetClean
- GDataClean
- GoogleClean
- GridinsoftClean
- huorongClean
- IkarusNo result
- JiangminClean
- K7AntiVirusClean
- K7GWClean
- KasperskyClean
- KingsoftClean
- LionicClean
- MalwarebytesClean
- MaxSecureClean
- McAfeeDClean
- MicrosoftClean
- MicroWorld-eScanClean
- NANO-AntivirusClean
- PaloaltoClean
- PandaClean
- RisingClean
- SangforClean
- SentinelOneClean
- SkyhighClean
- SophosClean
- SUPERAntiSpywareClean
- SymantecClean
- SymantecMobileInsightNo result
- TACHYONClean
- tehtrisClean
- TencentClean
- TrapmineClean
- TrellixENSClean
- TrendMicroClean
- TrendMicro-HouseCallClean
- TrustlookNo result
- VaristClean
- VBA32Clean
- VIPREClean
- VirITClean
- ViRobotClean
- WebrootClean
- XcitiumClean
- YandexClean
- ZillyaClean
- ZoneAlarmClean
- ZonerClean
Signatures and behavior heuristics
Low-severity pattern matches — worth noting but not on their own cause for alarm.
VirusTotal's sandbox summary maps this run to MITRE T1003 (OS Credential Dumping), but no process targeting LSASS or another credential store was recorded. VirusTotal maps T1003 on clean files more often than on detected ones, so the mapping alone is not evidence of credential theft.
EvidenceT1003 (sandbox MITRE mapping)
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.
Chapter 05
Questions & answers
Short answers to the 6 questions people ask most about this file.
Is MSPAINT.EXE safe?
What is MSPAINT.EXE?
How many antivirus engines detected MSPAINT.EXE?
What is the SHA-256 hash of MSPAINT.EXE?
Is it safe to run MSPAINT.EXE?
How up to date is this analysis of MSPAINT.EXE?
Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.