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Verdict Malicious

Analyzed , 1 month ago

Is README-2.exe safe? No, we rate this exact file malicious.

Five major antivirus engines detected this unsigned executable, with Kaspersky and TrendMicro naming Nuker and observation from the test run recording the destructive technique.

Read the whole reasonShow less

Strong evidence · Two or more major antivirus engines agree.

Don't run this file

If you already ran it, follow the steps below.

What to do now4 steps

This file is harmful. Don't run it, and remove it.

If you haven't run it

  1. Don't run this file. Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin.

If you already ran it

  1. Disconnect the device from the internet, then run a full antivirus scan. Microsoft Defender Offline (Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options) also finds malware that hides while Windows runs.

  2. From another device you trust, change the passwords of your important accounts (email and banking first) and turn on two-step verification.

  3. If the scan keeps finding it, or the device still acts strangely, scan again with a second-opinion scanner from another company; if that doesn't fix it, back up your personal files and reinstall Windows.

If you already ran it, do these in order.

If you opened or installed it

Avoid banking and sign-ins on that device until it is clean. These free MalwareTips guides walk you through it.

Paste this report's link in your topic so helpers can see what was found.

Why we think so

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README-2.exe: Malicious — 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

18 of 71 flagged

  • Flagged 18
  • No detection 53
  • No result 4
FileREADME-2.exe8.3 MBSHA-256 9c9fae60edd2…6da8e8
  • Code signing Unsigned
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 1mo ago
18 of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag it, including Microsoft and Kaspersky.

Chapter 02

Why we think so

6 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 sample drew 18 detections from 75 engines, including five major detections and repeated Nuker or Multiverze family labels. A completed sandbox run also recorded T1485 Data Destruction, while no verified signer or established publisher history offsets these signals.

Where this verdict could be wrong4 caveats
  • Major antivirus engines do not agree on one malware family because only two independent major votes agree on Nuker, while other major detections use Multiverze or generic labels.
  • No sandbox returned a malicious verdict, and the completed run recorded no contacted domains, IPs, or URLs.
  • No dropped file is known to be malicious, although all 10 inspected children remained unclassified rather than confirmed clean.
  • The absence of community YARA matches and the absence of a known-software database match provide no researcher-curated corroboration, but absence of such hits is not exculpatory.

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 not needed or not applicable. 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
  • 12sandbox rule tags
  • 2spawned processes
  • 0network contacts
  • 30filesystem & mutex artifacts

What the test run showed

What the file did on a test computer

Confirmed in the test run

  • Moderate concern: Contains packed or scrambled code that is harder to inspect (common in installers too).

  • Moderate concern: Ran commands or a script on the test computer.

  • Moderate concern: Checked whether it was running on a test computer.

  • Note: Listed the programs running on the test computer.

  • Note: Read basic details of the test computer, such as its Windows version.

  • Note: Looked through folders on the test computer (most installers do this).

  • Note: Loaded extra code modules while running.

Sandbox labels we could not confirm (common in safe files too)

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as contacting a server, but no contacted host was recorded.

This file was run on a test computer (a sandbox), not on yours. Labels we could not confirm are listed so you can see them, but they are not treated as evidence against the file.

Threat context

How trojans work

A trojan pretends to be something useful or harmless so that you run it. Once open, it does its real job in the background, from stealing data to opening a back door or downloading more malware.

Bottom line:The disguise is the whole trick, so a trustworthy-looking name or icon means nothing.

Recorded behavior

What happened in the test

Grouped by step. The order is not a timeline.

Seen in the test runWorked out from other results

  1. Input file

    The submitted object

    1
    1. Evidence 1 of 5: FileSeen in the test run

      README-2.exe

      9c9fae60edd2e9bdf52d50324afc7177e67e9a27e50c4f28fe4dc207666da8e8

      Uploaded file

  2. Processes

    What ran

    2
    1. Evidence 2 of 5: ProcessSeen in the test run

      README-1.exe

      "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\README-1.exe"

      Test run
    2. Evidence 3 of 5: ProcessSeen in the test run

      README-1.exe

      "C:\Users\user\Desktop\README-1.exe"

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  3. Files

    Created or changed

    2
    1. Evidence 4 of 5: Written fileSeen in the test run

      VCRUNTIME140.dll

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI00000f5c2\VCRUNTIME140.dll

      Test run
    2. Evidence 5 of 5: Written fileSeen in the test run

      VCRUNTIME140_1.dll

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI00000f5c2\VCRUNTIME140_1.dll

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

5 facts from the test run. See the full activity list.

Chapter 04

Technical details

18 of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag it; no publisher signature.

Sources checked

Every check behind this verdict

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

SourceStatusResultChecked
Antivirus enginesVirusTotal · 75 enginesCompleteRisk signal: 18 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 scannerNot neededThe sandbox recorded no contacted hosts to checkNo date recorded
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesCompleteNo rule matched
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompleteNo match

Engines that flagged it 18

  • Kaspersky (major engine)HEUR:Trojan-PSW.Python.Nuker.gen
  • Microsoft (major engine)Trojan:Python/Multiverze!rfn
  • Sophos (major engine)Mal/Generic-S
  • Symantec (major engine)Trojan.Multiverze!ATN
  • TrellixENS (major engine)Artemis!E3D45D6F36FC
  • TrendMicro (major engine)Trojan.Win64.NUKER.USBLIA26
  • TrendMicro-HouseCall (major engine)Trojan.Win64.NUKER.USBLIA26
  • APEXMalicious
10 more in the full engine list

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Sep 12, 2026, 9:36 AM UTC
SHA-256
9c9fae60edd2e9bdf52d50324afc7177e67e9a27e50c4f28fe4dc207666da8e8
SHA-1
9ede7d661037e859c2e723dfc846f44c833b7842
MD5
e3d45d6f36fca6a6c5251c9268efce90

About this file

README-2.exe is a Win32 EXE file of 8.3 MB.

Type and size
Win32 EXE · 8.3 MB
Signer
UnsignedNo code signature.
First seen
Sep 5, 2026On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
14 distinct sources
Packer
None detected
Entropy
8.00 of 8

First scanned

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

Short answers to the 8 questions people ask most about this file.

Is README-2.exe malware?
Yes. This copy of README-2.exe (SHA-256 9c9fae60…a8e8) is malicious. Other files with the same name can be different, so check the hash. Don't run it. Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin. 18 of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag it, some as Nuker. Antivirus engines classify it as a trojan: malware disguised as something harmless so that you run it. If you've already run it, see the steps below.
What is README-2.exe?
README-2.exe is a Windows program, about 8.3 MB. It carries no version information saying what it is or who made it. VirusTotal first saw it on Sep 5, 2026.
How many antivirus engines detected README-2.exe?
18 of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it flag README-2.exe, including Microsoft and Kaspersky. We weigh which engines flagged it and what else the scan found, not just the count. The rating comes from all the evidence together, not from this count alone.
I already downloaded and ran README-2.exe — what should I do?
Act quickly. 1) Disconnect the device from the internet. 2) Run a full scan with your antivirus and let it remove what it finds. 3) Change your important passwords from another device you trust, starting with email and banking, and turn on two-step verification. 4) If you bank or shop on this device, watch your accounts and tell your bank about payments you don't recognise. 5) If the scan keeps finding it, back up your personal files and reinstall Windows.
How do I remove README-2.exe?
To remove README-2.exe: 1) run a full scan with your antivirus and let it remove what it finds. 2) Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin. 3) Check Settings > Apps, your browser extensions, startup apps (Task Manager > Startup apps) and scheduled tasks for anything you don't recognise. 4) Restart and scan again. If it keeps coming back, scan from Safe Mode with Networking, or back up your files and reinstall Windows.
What kind of malware is README-2.exe?
Antivirus engines classify README-2.exe as a trojan: malware disguised as something harmless so that you run it. Engines attribute it to the Nuker family.
What is the SHA-256 hash of README-2.exe?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of README-2.exe is 9c9fae60edd2e9bdf52d50324afc7177e67e9a27e50c4f28fe4dc207666da8e8, and its MD5 is e3d45d6f36fca6a6c5251c9268efce90. 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.
How up to date is this analysis of README-2.exe?
This report reflects the scan on Sep 12, 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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