Threat LensFile scan report

Is Setup.exe safe?

Verdict
Safe

Only 1 of 73 engines flagged this older installer, while all 18 tier-1 engines remained silent and runtime analysis found no offensive behavior.

APEX alone flagged the executable, while 72 of 73 engines did not, including all 18 tier-1 engines. One sandbox run found no offensive techniques or malicious runtime verdict, though the unsigned file made four direct-IP contacts whose reputation was not checked completely.

Install with normal care

If the installer came from an expected, trusted source, retain normal endpoint-protection monitoring while using it. Otherwise, obtain a fresh copy from the official release channel rather than relying on this unsigned executable.

Read the full analysis
Saved file evidenceAntivirus consensus
1of 73 flagged
Flagged 1No detection 72
Digital specimenSetup.exe96d9b8d315460f5c61…5a7d8f79f899af
Size1.1 MB
Code signingUnsigned
SandboxRuntime complete
First seen14y ago
Evidence2 priority signals
1 of 73 antivirus engines flagged the file, including APEX.

Recommended next actions

01

Before installing

Install it only when it came from the developer's official site or an official app store.

02

If you already installed it

Keep normal device protection enabled and stop if the file behaves unexpectedly.

Chapter 02

Intelligence

The saved assessment, checked against the scan evidence and recorded coverage.

MT AI Engine · Verdict analysis

The reasoning behind this verdict

This section explains the evidence supporting the verdict and keeps conflicting or missing signals visible.

82%Confidence
High
Analyst conclusion

APEX alone flagged the executable, while 72 of 73 engines did not, including all 18 tier-1 engines. One sandbox run found no offensive techniques or malicious runtime verdict, though the unsigned file made four direct-IP contacts whose reputation was not checked completely.

Where this verdict could be wrong4 caveats
  • The executable is unsigned: signing.applicable=true and signing.signed=false, so publisher identity cannot be verified.
  • MalwareTips.Synth.DirectIpC2 fired for four direct-IP contacts, and contactedHosts=null leaves their reputation unresolved.
  • similarHashes[0].verdict is suspicious, but matchKind=imphash and signerMatchesSubject=false make this weak similarity evidence.
  • All 6 inspected dropped children have unknown verdicts, despite droppedChildren.hasMaliciousChild=false.

These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.

Recommended action

If the installer came from an expected, trusted source, retain normal endpoint-protection monitoring while using it. Otherwise, obtain a fresh copy from the official release channel rather than relying on this unsigned executable.

Scan transparency

Coverage & freshness

4 of 5 complete

Complete means the check returned a usable result. It does not mean the file is safe.

  • Antivirus

    Complete

    1 of 73 engines flagged the file.

  • Sandbox

    Complete

    1 isolated runtime environment contributed observations.

  • Network

    Partial

    4 runtime contacts were observed without a completed reputation cross-check.

  • YARA

    Complete

    1 signature or behavior rule matched.

  • External intel

    Complete

    3 of 3 independent reference sources completed.

Chapter 03

Behavior

Plain-English impact first, then the observed runtime evidence.

Runtime flight recorder

Capture complete
  • 1isolated sandbox run
  • 13MITRE ATT&CK techniques
  • 4spawned processes
  • 4network contacts
  • 30filesystem & mutex artifacts
Recorded behavior

Attack story

Runtime observations grouped by analysis stage. Arrows organize the stages; they do not claim chronology or causality.

ObservedDerived

7 recorded facts from one runtime window. Every fact remains independently traceable in Analyst mode.

Chapter 04

Detection & Forensics

Consensus, attribution, signatures, code structure, prevalence, and identity.

Chapter 05

Safety & 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.

  1. Recovery step 01

    Install it only when it came from the developer's official site or an official app store.

  2. Recovery step 02

    A clean result reduces known risk, but it cannot guarantee that every new or targeted threat has been detected.

  3. 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.

6 evidence-based answers
Is Setup.exe safe?
Evidence-based answer
Setup.exe appears safe. 1 of 73 antivirus engines flagged it; the 1 detection were treated as non-decisive after the wider evidence was weighed. Install it only when it came from the developer's official site or an official app store.
What is Setup.exe?
Evidence-based answer
Setup.exe is a software installer, about 1.1 MB. Our analysis did not identify a verdict-driving threat signal. A file's name can be reused by different files, so we identify it by its cryptographic hash (below).
How many antivirus engines detected Setup.exe?
Evidence-based answer
1 of 73 antivirus engines flagged Setup.exe, 1 of them as outright malicious. The raw count alone does not establish safety or danger; we also weigh which engines flagged it and corroborating behavior, identity, reputation, and rule evidence.
What is the SHA-256 hash of Setup.exe?
Evidence-based answer
The SHA-256 hash of Setup.exe is 96d9b8d315460f5c613192d642109fed9287aecab220a1e3615a7d8f79f899af, and its MD5 is ed3279dbb9c074345ff42681436b9d11. This hash is the file's unique fingerprint — two files with the same SHA-256 are identical. Use it to confirm you're looking at exactly this file (not just one with the same name) when comparing against antivirus databases or a download's published checksum.
Is it safe to install Setup.exe?
Evidence-based answer
Based on the recorded evidence, Setup.exe has a low observed risk. The important caveat is source: make sure you downloaded it from the official website or a trusted store, because attackers sometimes distribute malware-laced copies under a legitimate file's name. If your own antivirus flags it, verify the source and the exact hash before overriding the warning.
How up to date is this analysis of Setup.exe?
Evidence-based answer
This report reflects the scan run on September 15, 2026. Because a file's hash never changes, the identity of Setup.exe is fixed — but antivirus coverage improves over time, so a file that looks clean today can pick up detections later (and vice-versa). If you need the latest picture, MalwareTips staff can re-run the analysis from scratch.
Chapter 06

Community

Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.

The raw file is processed temporarily and is not retained after processing. Its hash and report are public and permanent, so the next person who checks the same file gets an instant answer. Unknown files may be submitted to VirusTotal for analysis. If you ran this file on your computer and are worried, scan your system with an up-to-date antivirus and change critical passwords from a different device.