Is DBGHELP.DLL safe?
All 74 antivirus engines were silent, while Microsoft's verified signature, long-standing prevalence, and consistent signer history strongly support a legitimate Windows library.
No antivirus engine flagged this Microsoft-signed DLL, including all 17 reporting tier-1 engines. Its long history, broad prevalence, NSRL reference entry, and five consistent signer-based precedents outweigh one timestamp YARA match and sandbox techniques that received no malicious runtime verdict.
9a02133854ff9f06c3…5e3737259ddf9eRecommended next actions
Before using
Use it only as part of software obtained from the developer's official site or another source you independently trust.
If you already used 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.
No antivirus engine flagged this Microsoft-signed DLL, including all 17 reporting tier-1 engines. Its long history, broad prevalence, NSRL reference entry, and five consistent signer-based precedents outweigh one timestamp YARA match and sandbox techniques that received no malicious runtime verdict.
The sample is verified as signed by Microsoft Corporation, a curated trusted publisher, and 21 of 22 historical signer samples were assessed as benign. None of 74 antivirus engines raised a detection, with all 17 reporting tier-1 engines remaining silent. It has circulated since 2020 across 3,630 sources and 12,356 submissions, which strongly reduces concern about an unfamiliar payload. One sandbox mapped process-injection, service, and defense-evasion techniques, but produced no malicious verdict and no inspected child was identified as malware. Three direct-IP contacts lack a completed reputation cross-check, and the single YARA match concerns an anomalous compilation timestamp rather than a malware family. Overall, the verified publisher, broad engine agreement, established prevalence, reference-database entry, and five consistent signer precedents dominate those limited anomalies.
What We Detected
The file is a 64-bit Windows DLL with a verified Microsoft Corporation signature. None of 74 antivirus engines flagged it, including all 17 reporting tier-1 engines. It has been observed for 2,345 days, with 3,630 sources and 12,356 submissions, and the CIRCL result places it in an NSRL reference dataset.
Threat Behavior
One sandbox run mapped activity to T1055, T1543.003, and T1562.001, but did not issue a malicious runtime verdict. Ten child hashes were inspected and none was identified as malicious, although all remained unclassified. The sample contacted three IP addresses directly; because contactedHosts is unavailable, no complete reputation conclusion can be made about those destinations. One community YARA rule identified a future compilation timestamp, while static PE analysis found no likely packing or high-entropy code section.
What To Do Now
The evidence is consistent with a legitimate Microsoft debugging library. If the DLL came from an unexpected download or sits outside a trusted application or Windows directory, verify its digital-signature details and source before loading it; keep endpoint protection enabled.
Where this verdict could be wrong4 caveats
- The completed sandbox mapped activity to T1055, T1543.003, and T1562.001, although it issued no malicious sandbox verdict.
- triggeredHeuristics includes MalwareTips.Synth.DirectIpC2 for 104.43.193.48, 104.43.139.144, and 52.147.198.201; contactedHosts=null leaves their reputation unverified.
- YARA rule INDICATOR_SUSPICIOUS_Stomped_PECompilation_Timestamp_InTheFuture matched, but it is a single timestamp-focused rule rather than family identification.
- signing.signerStats includes 1/22 previously malicious samples, so the signer history is highly favorable but not perfect.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- 0/74 antivirus engines flagged the sample.
- Verified signature from Microsoft Corporation with trustedPublisher.matched=true.
- All 17 reporting tier-1 engines were clean.
- Observed across 3,630 sources and 12,356 submissions since 2020.
- Five of five similar signer-based precedents received safe assessments.
- Sandbox mapped T1055, T1543.003, and T1562.001.
- Three direct-IP contacts lack a completed contactedHosts reputation check.
- One YARA rule flagged an anomalous future compilation timestamp.
- Ten inspected child hashes remain unclassified.
- signing.signerStats contains 1 malicious result among 22 historical samples.
Allow only when the DLL originates from Windows, Microsoft, or a trusted application's installation path. If its source or location is unexpected, verify the signature and reacquire it from the official channel while keeping endpoint protection enabled.
Coverage & freshness
Complete means the check returned a usable result. It does not mean the file is safe.
Antivirus
Complete0 of 74 engines flagged the file.
Sandbox
Complete1 isolated runtime environment contributed observations.
Network
Partial3 runtime contacts were observed without a completed reputation cross-check.
YARA
Complete3 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
- 25MITRE ATT&CK techniques
- 15spawned processes
- 3network contacts
- 40filesystem & 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
DBGHELP.DLL
9a02133854ff9f06c3b23a70f8c2a4814b2ed4eef613244b485e3737259ddf9e
01Uploaded file
Processes
Runtime execution
- ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Windows\sysnative\rundll32.exe" "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\readme.dll",#1
02Isolated runtime analysis - ProcessObserved
Observed process
C:\windows\system32\rundll32.exe
03Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Files
Created or changed
- Written fileObserved
AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_36a8775a12c987657f814b8983345e9b92a3be_8b1eef54_0e0e6e79
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_36a8775a12c987657f814b8983345e9b92a3be_8b1eef54_0e0e6e79
04Isolated runtime analysis - Written fileObserved
Report.wer
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_36a8775a12c987657f814b8983345e9b92a3be_8b1eef54_0e0e6e79\Report.wer
05Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Network
Hosts contacted
- Contacted hostObserved
104.43.193.48
Contact observed during runtime.
06Isolated runtime analysis - Contacted hostObserved
104.43.139.144
Contact observed during runtime.
07Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
7 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.
- 104.43.193.48
- 104.43.139.144
- 52.147.198.201
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_36a8775a12c987657f814b8983345e9b92a3be_8b1eef54_0e0e6e79
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_36a8775a12c987657f814b8983345e9b92a3be_8b1eef54_0e0e6e79\Report.wer
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_36a8775a12c987657f814b8983345e9b92a3be_8b1eef54_1421eb20
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_36a8775a12c987657f814b8983345e9b92a3be_8b1eef54_1421eb20\Report.wer
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_a5e07f8dae8a9c4e3a88ede9e58c66de99ba0ea_8b1eef54_1bf2662c
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER5C97.tmp
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER5C97.tmp.dmp
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER5E8C.tmp
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER5E8C.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
- C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WER5F58.tmp
- DBWinMutex
- \Sessions\1\BaseNamedObjects\Local\WERReportingForProcess6992
- \Sessions\1\BaseNamedObjects\Global\9e1fcd2d-96a7-4a8f-859f-8f611a8d1b24
- \Sessions\1\BaseNamedObjects\Local\WERReportingForProcess4532
- \Sessions\1\BaseNamedObjects\Global\c53148ec-ad36-4eaf-9122-99b350861a6e
Files this sample writes at runtime
This file drops 10 children at runtime. None are currently flagged malicious in our cache.
- e3f90ee493a9c2cb9812…f83742Never scannednever seen before
- 759ba1450d1cdd17d94a…194606Never scannednever seen before
- a5614a96a69ec8eee858…80fad2Never scannednever seen before
- 052868df321c34e1c9ab…bcdf18Never scannednever seen before
- 3e7cfa5abf7c02022399…da0f38Never scannednever seen before
- 3940e9251ed8f96e3068…0d202eNever scannednever seen before
- 86dfa09e61f48987d0ac…310d77Never scannednever seen before
- e6f6fc27604cad4a85ac…091812Never scannednever seen before
- d34bbe2a0a7770e4375e…9d47b7Never scannednever seen before
- 85d96ac9e3a9a8ed67b7…6c7bc0Never scannednever seen before
Detection & Forensics
Consensus, attribution, signatures, code structure, prevalence, and identity.
Evidence integrity
Chain of custody for the facts preserved in this report.
- 3rule hits recorded
- 0 / 74engines flagged
- 3,630sources 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 74 antivirus engines flagged the file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceAntivirus analysisObserved at - 02
The hash appears in a known-software reference database.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceReference software databaseObserved at - 03
The hash has a long, established submission history across 3,630 sources.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceDerivedSourceSubmission historyObserved at - 04
Scanned file: DBGHELP.DLL — 9a02133854ff9f06c3b23a70f8c2a4814b2ed4eef613244b485e3737259ddf9e
ProvenanceObservedSourceUploaded fileObserved at - 05
Observed process — "C:\Windows\sysnative\rundll32.exe" "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\readme.dll",#1
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 06
Observed process — C:\windows\system32\rundll32.exe
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 07
File written: AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_36a8775a12c987657f814b8983345e9b92a3be_8b1eef54_0e0e6e79 — C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_36a8775a12c987657f814b8983345e9b92a3be_8b1eef54_0e0e6e79
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 08
File written: Report.wer — C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_rundll32.exe_DBG_36a8775a12c987657f814b8983345e9b92a3be_8b1eef54_0e0e6e79\Report.wer
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 09
Contacted host: 104.43.193.48 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 10
Contacted host: 104.43.139.144 — 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.
- INDICATOR_SUSPICIOUS_Stomped_PECompilation_Timestamp_InTheFuture
The saved runtime evidence maps this activity to MITRE T1055 (Process Injection). The mapping supports possible process injection, but it does not prove the exact injection method or the operator's intent.
Evidence"C:\Windows\sysnative\rundll32.exe" "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\readme.dll",#1The 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.
Evidence104.43.193.48 · 104.43.139.144 · 52.147.198.201
0 of 74 engines flagged this file
View all 74 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
Widely seen in the wild for a long time. High prior this is legitimate; isolated detections on common-old files are usually false positives.
Fingerprint and provenance
- File name
- DBGHELP.DLL
- Format
- Win32 DLL
- Code signing
- Signature valid: Microsoft Corporation
- Size
- 1.8 MB
- Last analyzed
- Sep 23, 2026, 5:09 AM UTC
9a02133854ff9f06c3b23a70f8c2a4814b2ed4eef613244b485e3737259ddf9eSafety & 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
Use it only as part of software obtained 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 DBGHELP.DLL safe?
What is DBGHELP.DLL?
How many antivirus engines detected DBGHELP.DLL?
Is DBGHELP.DLL digitally signed?
What is the SHA-256 hash of DBGHELP.DLL?
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Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.