File scan report
Verdict Suspicious
Is hydra-
The sample received no detections from 75 antivirus engines, including all 17 major antivirus engines, and one sandbox run did not issue a malicious verdict.
Read the whole reasonShow less
Why Suspicious? Unsigned Windows executable with no authenticated publisher.
Limited evidence · One sign points to a problem; nothing else confirms it.
If it came from a link, an attachment or a stranger, delete it.
What to do now4 steps
Some signs point to a problem, but nothing confirms it is harmful. Treat it with caution.
What to do
Don't install it unless you're sure where it came from.
Check where you got it: an unexpected attachment, a link someone sent you or a re-upload is a red flag.
If you can't confirm where it came from, delete it. If you need the program, download it again from the publisher's own website.
If you already installed it
Stop using it, run a full scan with your antivirus and watch for unexpected behavior or security alerts.
Not sure what to do?
Ask the MalwareTips community before you run it. If you already ran it, follow the cleanup guide.
- Ask for free help on the MalwareTips forumWindows malware removal help, answered by volunteers. (opens malwaretips.com in a new tab)
- Remove malware from WindowsStep-by-step cleanup with free tools. (opens malwaretips.com in a new tab)
Paste this report's link in your topic so helpers can see what was found.
Reads the latest antivirus results for this file's hash. Nothing is uploaded.
Antivirus results
0 of 71 flagged
- Flagged 0
- No detection 71
- No result 4
- Code signing Unsigned
- Test run Completed
- First seen 9mo ago
Chapter 02
Why we think so
5 points against it and 4 in its favour, checked against the scan evidence.
The reasoning behind this verdict
14 community YARA rules matched, the executable is unsigned, and the run recorded T1562.001, so its origin should be verified before execution.
The strongest evidence is the complete absence of detections across 75 antivirus engines, including 17 major antivirus engines. The file is also widely submitted and has been observed for months, making an undetected, broadly distributed threat less likely. One completed sandbox run did not produce a malicious verdict, and none of the 10 inspected children was identified as malware, although their individual verdicts remain unknown. Against that, 14 community YARA rules matched, including a remote control-oriented rule, and the test run recorded T1562.001. Because the executable is unsigned and host-reputation coverage was incomplete, those counter-signals prevent treating the evidence as conclusively benign.
What We Detected
No antivirus engine flagged the file: 0 of the 71 antivirus engines that checked it reported a detection, including all 17 major antivirus engines. The sample is also well established, with 3,716 sources and 32,873 submissions over roughly nine months. However, the executable has no verified code signature, and 14 community YARA rules matched; several are broad rules for debugging checks, Go binaries, web forms, or remote control-related strings rather than definitive family identifications.
Threat Behavior
One completed sandbox run launched Microsoft Edge WebView processes and did not issue a malicious verdict. It recorded one offensive technique, T1562.001, alongside 12 installer- or application-common techniques, with no persistence indicators. Ten dropped files were inspected and none was identified as malicious, but all remain without definitive child verdicts. Eight domains were cross-checked without a malicious or suspicious cache match, although the observed IP contacts were not fully covered, so a complete host-reputation conclusion is unavailable.
What To Do Now
Confirm the SHA-256 hash and download source against the developer's official release channel before running it. Keep security software enabled and, if provenance cannot be established, test the file only in an isolated environment or avoid execution.
Where this verdict could be wrong4 caveats
- The 14 YARAify matches are meaningful researcher-curated static evidence, although several displayed rules are broad capability or compiler signatures rather than family-specific detections.
- A communityComments annotation cites MAL_Archer_RAT_Nov25, but unverified comments are contextual evidence and conflict with 0/71 engine detections.
- The executable is unsigned, so there is no publisher identity or established signer history to authenticate its origin.
- All 10 files it created remain unknown rather than affirmatively clean.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- 0/71 antivirus engines detected the sample
- No sandbox returned a malicious verdict
- No persistence indicators were observed
- Widely observed across 3,716 sources and 32,873 submissions
- Unsigned Windows executable with no authenticated publisher
- 14 community YARA rules matched
- Runtime technique was recorded
- Contacted-host reputation coverage was incomplete
- Community annotation references MAL_Archer_RAT_Nov25
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- 13sandbox rule tags
- 14spawned processes
- 16network contacts
- 38filesystem & 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.
Note: Talked to servers over the internet during the test run.
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).
Sandbox labels we could not confirm (common in safe files too)
Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as recording keystrokes; no keylogging was confirmed.
Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as weakening security settings; no setting change 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.
Recorded behavior
What happened in the test
Grouped by step. The order is not a timeline.
- 1
Input file
The submitted object
- Evidence 1 of 7: FileSeen in the test run
hydra-installer.exe
9ce0713c0173d8592633b2e31aba87cce30f7308a03336636c7e8b9f354dbdab
Uploaded file
- 2
Processes
What ran
- Evidence 2 of 7: ProcessSeen in the test run
file.exe
"C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\file.exe"
Test run - Evidence 3 of 7: ProcessSeen in the test run
hydra-installer.exe
"C:\Users\user\Desktop\hydra-installer.exe"
Test run - +1 more recorded observation
- 2
Files
Created or changed
- Evidence 4 of 7: Written fileSeen in the test run
Logs
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Security Health\Logs
Test run - Evidence 5 of 7: Written fileSeen in the test run
5a2a7058cf8d1e56c20e6b19a7c48eb2386d141b.tbres
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\TokenBroker\Cache\5a2a7058cf8d1e56c20e6b19a7c48eb2386d141b.tbres
Test run - +1 more recorded observation
- 2
Network
Hosts contacted
- Evidence 6 of 7: Contacted hostSeen in the test run
installer.hydralauncher.gg
Contacted during the test run.
Test run - Evidence 7 of 7: Contacted hostWorked out from other results
static.cloudflareinsights.com
Older reputation report (safe), not counted as current evidence.
Contacted-host cross-check - +1 more recorded observation
7 facts from the test run. See the full activity list.
Includes the sandbox verdicts, 13 mapped techniques, every process, file, registry and network entry and 10 dropped files.
Show the technical evidenceChapter 04
Technical details
None 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 partial. Complete means the check returned a usable result; it does not mean the file is safe.
File fingerprint
- Last analyzed
- Oct 9, 2026, 2:02 AM UTC
- SHA-256
9ce0713c0173d8592633b2e31aba87cce30f7308a03336636c7e8b9f354dbdab- SHA-1
14b19bc1233ae1c35b80d91bfcb464c967fcd019- MD5
22a7efa9705ee6fcc45c21e13d760f4e
About this file
hydra-installer.exe is a Win32 EXE file of 11.5 MB.
- Type and size
- Win32 EXE · 11.5 MB
- Signer
- UnsignedNo code signature.
- First seen
- Jan 11, 2026On VirusTotal.
- Submitted by
- 3,716 distinct sources
- Packer
- None detected
- Entropy
- 5.95 of 8
First scanned
Includes every engine result (75), 14 matched signature rules, PE section entropy and packers and how widely the file has been seen.
Show the technical evidenceChapter 05
Questions & answers
Short answers to the 6 questions people ask most about this file.
Is hydra-installer.exe safe, or is it malware?
What is hydra-installer.exe?
How many antivirus engines detected hydra-installer.exe?
What should I do if I already installed hydra-installer.exe?
What is the SHA-256 hash of hydra-installer.exe?
How up to date is this analysis of hydra-installer.exe?
Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.