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Verdict Malicious

Analyzed , 2 months ago

Is Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe safe? No, we rate this exact file malicious.

Strong consensus labels from major antivirus engines this file a DefenderControl hacking tool with multiple offensive MITRE techniques.

Read the whole reasonShow less

Strong evidence · Two or more major antivirus engines agree.

Remove it unless you use it on purpose

Treat the file as malicious and block or delete it; maintain all security software in an active state.

What to do now4 steps

This is a hacking tool. It is risky to keep and run, but finding it is not by itself a sign that the device is infected.

What to do

  1. Don't run it unless you got it on purpose for security testing on systems you own. Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin.

  2. If you didn't put it on the device yourself, delete it and run a full antivirus scan: something else may have brought it.

  3. Tools like this often come with cracked or pirated software. If it came that way, treat the whole download as unsafe and scan everything it installed.

If you already ran it

  1. Stop using it, run a full scan with your antivirus and watch for unexpected behavior or security alerts.

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

Share this file report

Step 1 - Disable Defender.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

40 of 70 flagged

  • Flagged 40
  • No detection 30
  • No result 4
FileStep 1 - Disable Defender.exe846.0 kBSHA-256 a201f7f81277…8fe7ae
  • Code signing Signer not verified
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 6y ago
40 of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag it, including Microsoft and Kaspersky.

Chapter 02

Why we think so

5 points against it and 0 in its favour, checked against the scan evidence.

MT AI Engine · Verdict analysis

The reasoning behind this verdict

Analyst conclusion

40 of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag the sample, including 8 major antivirus engines that converge on the defendercontrol family. The file carries six offensive MITRE techniques and is listed as known malicious by CIRCL.

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
  • 38sandbox rule tags
  • 5spawned processes
  • 1network contact
  • 40filesystem & mutex artifacts

What the test run showed

What the file did on a test computer

Confirmed in the test run

  • Moderate concern: Created a Windows service so it keeps running.

  • Moderate concern: Set itself to start automatically after a restart.

  • 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: Used an unusual way to talk to a server.

  • Moderate concern: Downloaded a file during the test run.

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

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

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as code injection, but no injected program was recorded.

  • 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.

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as changing how Windows loads code; nothing confirms it.

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 hacking tools are used

Hacking tools are programs that can switch off security software, test passwords or attack other computers. Security professionals use them on purpose; criminals also bundle them with malware.

Bottom line:Keep it only if you installed it on purpose, and check how it got onto the device if you didn't.

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 6: FileSeen in the test run

      Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe

      a201f7f81277e28c0bdd680427b979aee70e42e8a98c67f11e7c83d02f8fe7ae

      Uploaded file

  2. Processes

    What ran

    2
    1. Evidence 2 of 6: ProcessSeen in the test run

      program.exe

      "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\program.exe"

      Test run
    2. Evidence 3 of 6: ProcessSeen in the test run

      a201f7f81277e28c0bdd680427b979aee70e42e8a98c67f11e7c83d02f8fe7ae.exe

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  3. Files

    Created or changed

    2
    1. Evidence 4 of 6: Written fileSeen in the test run

      aut36B6.tmp

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\aut36B6.tmp

      Test run
    2. Evidence 5 of 6: Written fileSeen in the test run

      nbvsaoh

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\nbvsaoh

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  4. Network

    Hosts contacted

    1
    1. Evidence 6 of 6: Contacted hostSeen in the test run

      52.184.215.140

      Contacted during the test run.

      Test run

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

Chapter 04

Technical details

40 of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag it; a signature that did not verify.

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.

SourceStatusResultChecked
Antivirus enginesVirusTotal · 74 enginesCompleteRisk signal: 40 of 70 engines flagged it · 4 gave no result Details for antivirus engines
Sandbox runVirusTotal sandboxesCompleteRuntime behaviour was recorded Details for sandbox run
Contacted hostsMalwareTips URL scannerPartial1 host contacted in the test run had no completed reputation check Details for contacted hosts
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesCompleteWorth noting: 2 MalwareTips behaviour rules Details for signature rules
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompleteWorth noting: Listed in an open-upload malware feed

Engines that flagged it 40

  • BitDefender (major engine)Application.HackTool.AQU
  • DrWeb (major engine)Tool.DefenderControl.3
  • ESET-NOD32 (major engine)Win32/RiskWare.DefenderControl.A application
  • Fortinet (major engine)Riskware/Snatch_SM
  • GData (major engine)Application.HackTool.AQU
  • Kaspersky (major engine)not-a-virus:RiskTool.Win32.Disabler.mi
  • Microsoft (major engine)HackTool:Win32/Defendercontrol!pz
  • Sophos (major engine)BlueLife Windows Defender Control (PUA)
32 more in the full engine list

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Aug 24, 2026, 5:08 PM UTC
SHA-256
a201f7f81277e28c0bdd680427b979aee70e42e8a98c67f11e7c83d02f8fe7ae
SHA-1
5da4de1dbba55774891497297396fd2e5c306cf5
MD5
3a24a7b7c1ba74a5afa50f88ba81d550

About this file

Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe is a Win32 EXE file of 846.0 kB.

Type and size
Win32 EXE · 846.0 kB
Signer
Sordum Software (unverified signature)Worth noting: Malware sometimes copies or steals a company's signature, so this does not mean that company made it.
First seen
Dec 16, 2019On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
2,068 distinct sources
Packer
None detected
Entropy
8.00 of 8

First scanned

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

Short answers to the 9 questions people ask most about this file.

Is Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe a virus?
Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe is a hacking tool. It is flagged because it can be misused, not because it infects a device by itself. Keep it only if you use it on purpose; otherwise, delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin. 40 of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag it, some as defendercontrol.
What is Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe?
Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe is a Windows program, about 846.0 kB. It carries no version information saying what it is or who made it. VirusTotal first saw it on Dec 16, 2019.
How many antivirus engines detected Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe?
40 of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag Step 1 - Disable Defender.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.
What should I do if I already ran Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe?
1) If you ran it on purpose, for testing on systems you own, remove it when you are done. 2) If you didn't download it yourself, delete it and run a full antivirus scan: something else may have brought it. 3) If it came with cracked or pirated software, treat that whole download as unsafe, scan everything it installed and change passwords you typed on the device since.
How do I remove Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe?
To remove Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe: 1) Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin. 2) Run a full scan with your antivirus to check that nothing else came with it. 3) Check Settings > Apps and your startup apps for anything you don't recognise.
What kind of program is Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe?
Antivirus engines classify Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe as a hacking tool: a program that can switch off security software, test passwords or attack other computers. Engines attribute it to the defendercontrol family.
Is Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe digitally signed?
It carries a signature in the name of Sordum Software that could not be verified. Malware sometimes copies or steals a company's signature, so this does not mean that company made it.
What is the SHA-256 hash of Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe is a201f7f81277e28c0bdd680427b979aee70e42e8a98c67f11e7c83d02f8fe7ae, and its MD5 is 3a24a7b7c1ba74a5afa50f88ba81d550. 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 Step 1 - Disable Defender.exe?
This report reflects the scan on Aug 24, 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.

Related file reports

Recent reports on other files with the same rating.

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