Is Launch.exe safe?
Activision-signed executable with zero engine detections and a matching prior safe verdict.
All 77 engines returned clean results. The file is signed by Activision Publishing with a valid certificate and matches a previously safe sample from the same signer. No malicious sandbox verdict, dropped children, or named-family detections exist.
97bee314dd4f8fee14…ae3f9dd31cd60bRecommended 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 77 engines returned clean results. The file is signed by Activision Publishing with a valid certificate and matches a previously safe sample from the same signer. No malicious sandbox verdict, dropped children, or named-family detections exist.
Zero malicious detections across 77 engines, including 18 tier-1 engines, eliminates any engine-based threat signal. The valid Activision signature and the prior safe verdict on another Activision-signed executable provide strong signer-history evidence. Generic YARA rules for digital certificates do not indicate malware. The single heuristic on direct-IP traffic lacks host-reputation corroboration because contactedHosts is null, so it remains inconclusive. Medium prevalence over 16 years further supports a benign classification.
What We Detected
77 antivirus engines scanned the 33 kB Win32 executable; none flagged it malicious. The file carries a valid code-signing certificate issued to Activision Publishing. One prior sample signed by the same publisher was previously classified safe.
Threat Behavior
Sandbox execution recorded ambient system calls and direct-IP connections, but no malicious MITRE techniques, dropped children, or C2 domains. The three YARA rules that matched are generic certificate-detection rules, not malware signatures.
What To Do Now
The file shows no malicious indicators. Keep Windows Defender and other endpoint protection enabled; no further action is required.
Where this verdict could be wrong1 caveat
- triggeredHeuristics[0] 'MalwareTips.Synth.DirectIpC2' fired on direct-IP traffic, but the rule itself notes this pattern also occurs in legitimate installers and requires host-reputation correlation; contactedHosts is null so no corroboration exists.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- 0/77 engines flagged the sample
- Valid Activision Publishing signature
- Prior safe verdict on same-signer file
- Medium prevalence, 16-year history
The evidence supports treating the file as safe; retain normal endpoint protection and no additional remediation is needed.
Coverage & freshness
Complete means the check returned a usable result. It does not mean the file is safe.
Antivirus
Complete0 of 77 engines flagged the file.
Sandbox
Complete1 isolated runtime environment contributed observations.
Network
Partial7 runtime contacts were observed without a completed reputation cross-check.
YARA
Complete4 signature or behavior rules 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
- 6MITRE ATT&CK techniques
- 6spawned processes
- 7network contacts
- 15filesystem & 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
Launch.exe
97bee314dd4f8fee14708b946fb2e8e11332c3e6fa87e26970ae3f9dd31cd60b
01Uploaded file
Processes
Runtime execution
- ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\executable.exe"
02Isolated runtime analysis - ProcessObserved
Observed process
%SAMPLEPATH%\Launch.exe
03Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Network
Hosts contacted
- Contacted hostObserved
20.99.185.48
Contact observed during runtime.
04Isolated runtime analysis - Contacted hostObserved
192.229.211.108
Contact observed during runtime.
05Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
5 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.
- 20.99.185.48
- 192.229.211.108
- 23.216.147.64
- 20.99.184.37
- 192.168.0.6
- 151.101.22.172
- 23.55.140.42
- C:\Windows\System32\spp\store\2.0\cache\cache.dat
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER362E.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER3757.tmp.csv
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER3787.tmp.txt
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER3C78.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
- CTF.LBES.MutexDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
- CTF.Compart.MutexDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
- CTF.Asm.MutexDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
- CTF.Layouts.MutexDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
- CTF.TMD.MutexDefaultS-1-5-21-1482476501-1645522239-1417001333-500
Detection & Forensics
Consensus, attribution, signatures, code structure, prevalence, and identity.
Evidence integrity
Chain of custody for the facts preserved in this report.
- 4rule hits recorded
- 0 / 77engines flagged
- 45sources 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 77 antivirus engines flagged the file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceAntivirus analysisObserved at - 02
The file has a valid code signature from Activision Publishing.
ProvenanceObservedSourceCode-signing metadataObserved at - 03
3 high-confidence signature or behavior rules matched this file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceSignature and behavior rulesObserved at - 04
Scanned file: Launch.exe — 97bee314dd4f8fee14708b946fb2e8e11332c3e6fa87e26970ae3f9dd31cd60b
ProvenanceObservedSourceUploaded fileObserved at - 05
Observed process — "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\executable.exe"
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 06
Observed process — %SAMPLEPATH%\Launch.exe
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 07
Contacted host: 20.99.185.48 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 08
Contacted host: 192.229.211.108 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at
Detection sources at a glance
The available sources did not agree on a named threat category.
One or more independent reference databases matched this hash.
Signatures and behavior heuristics
A community signature or high-severity behavioral heuristic matched. Signatures identify known patterns; heuristics are strong leads but are not proof on their own.
- NET
- PE_Digital_Certificate
- PE_Potentially_Signed_Digital_Certificate
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.
Evidence20.99.185.48 · 192.229.211.108 · 23.216.147.64
0 of 77 engines flagged this file
View all 77 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
- Launch.exe
- Format
- Win32 EXE
- Code signing
- Signature valid: Activision Publishing
- Size
- 32.4 KB
- Last analyzed
- Aug 8, 2026, 7:33 AM UTC
97bee314dd4f8fee14708b946fb2e8e11332c3e6fa87e26970ae3f9dd31cd60bSafety & 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 Launch.exe safe?
What is Launch.exe?
How many antivirus engines detected Launch.exe?
Is Launch.exe digitally signed?
What is the SHA-256 hash of Launch.exe?
Is it safe to run Launch.exe?
How up to date is this analysis of Launch.exe?
Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.