Is sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe safe?
Low-trust detections plus sandbox process-injection signals on a widely distributed self-signed executable.
Two low-trust engines flagged the file while 17 tier-1 engines remained silent. Sandbox evidence shows process-injection and LSASS access, yet the sample is common_old with no tier-1 family consensus or external-intel hits.
a48ef2d0d7a9d5d5ca…3c7f8666e746d3Recommended next actions
Before running
Do not run it until the source and publisher can be verified independently.
If you already ran it
Stop using it, scan the device, and watch for unexpected behavior or security alerts. Get a fresh copy from the developer's official site or an official app store.
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.
Two low-trust engines flagged the file while 17 tier-1 engines remained silent. Sandbox evidence shows process-injection and LSASS access, yet the sample is common_old with no tier-1 family consensus or external-intel hits.
The engine profile matches an AV-on-AV false-positive pattern, but the absence of any trusted-publisher history and the presence of offensive MITRE techniques prevent a clean verdict. Prevalence data indicates the binary has circulated for months among many users, lowering the chance of a targeted attack. Without a completed host-reputation check or corroborating tier-1 detections, the evidence remains mixed.
What We Detected
2 of 74 engines (APEX, Webroot) returned low-trust malicious labels; 17 tier-1 engines reported clean. The file is signed by an unknown 'Sims4Updater' certificate with no prior history. Sandbox execution recorded MITRE techniques T1055 (process injection), T1485/T1486 (data destruction/encryption), and direct-IP contact to 104.21.52.91.
Threat Behavior
Observed LSASS access and dropped PyInstaller artifacts suggest credential-dumping capability, yet no malicious child files or confirmed C2 domains were found. The single contacted IP lacks a completed reputation cross-check.
What To Do Now
Keep endpoint protection enabled. Avoid executing the file until a trusted source or updated signatures provide clearer classification. Monitor any LSASS-related alerts if the binary has already run.
Where this verdict could be wrong2 caveats
- communityComments contain mixed researcher verdicts (two 'Malicious', one 'Clean', one 'Suspicious') — no consensus.
- contactedHosts is null; no complete host-reputation cross-check available for the single IP 104.21.52.91.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- 17 tier-1 engines clean
- Common_old prevalence (1125 sources)
- No malicious dropped children
- Low-trust engine detections
- Process-injection and LSASS access observed
- Self-signed certificate with no history
Treat as untrusted; do not run without additional verification from official Sims-4-updater channels or updated vendor signatures.
Coverage & freshness
Complete means the check returned a usable result. It does not mean the file is safe.
Antivirus
Complete2 of 74 engines flagged the file.
Sandbox
Complete1 isolated runtime environment contributed observations.
Network
Partial1 runtime contact was observed without a completed reputation cross-check.
YARA
Complete3 signature or behavior rules matched.
External intel
PartialIndependent reference checks were attempted but are incomplete.
Behavior
Plain-English impact first, then the observed runtime evidence.
Runtime flight recorder
Capture complete- 1isolated sandbox run
- 15MITRE ATT&CK techniques
- 14spawned processes
- 1network contacts
- 30filesystem & mutex artifacts
What this file does
Observed actions and their security significance
High concern: Injected code into another process, a technique that can conceal execution.
High concern: Encrypted files or data, behaviour commonly associated with ransomware.
Moderate concern: Contained obfuscated or packed code that makes inspection harder.
Moderate concern: Runs hidden system commands (script or shell).
Moderate concern: Removed execution artefacts or logs, which can conceal activity.
Moderate concern: Communicated over a common application protocol; malware can use this for command-and-control.
Moderate concern: Scans through your files and folders.
These are observed capabilities from an isolated analysis. A technique does not prove malicious intent on its own, and the file never ran on your device.
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
sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe
a48ef2d0d7a9d5d5ca9dea6e7017140e682b0eb6d15c33ace93c7f8666e746d3
01Uploaded file
Processes
Runtime execution
- ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\software.exe"
02Isolated runtime analysis - ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Windows\system32\NOTEPAD.EXE" C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\updater_readme.txt
03Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Files
Created or changed
- Written fileObserved
mfc140u.dll
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI54922\Pythonwin\mfc140u.dll
04Isolated runtime analysis - Written fileObserved
win32ui.pyd
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI54922\Pythonwin\win32ui.pyd
05Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Network
Hosts contacted
- Contacted hostObserved
104.21.52.91
Contact observed during runtime.
06Isolated runtime analysis
6 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.
- 104.21.52.91
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI54922\Pythonwin\mfc140u.dll
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI54922\Pythonwin\win32ui.pyd
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI54922\VCRUNTIME140.dll
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI54922\VCRUNTIME140_1.dll
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI54922\_asyncio.pyd
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\bd2mhudb
- C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\tmp_file_0
- C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\updater_remote.cache_tmp
- C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\updater_tmp\downloading\Base Game 1.119.109.1020 0.zip.001.aria2
- C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\updater_tmp\downloading\Base Game 1.119.109.1020 0.zip.001.aria2_partial
Files this sample writes at runtime
This file drops 10 children at runtime. None are currently flagged malicious in our cache.
- 21baa6669389d8284059…14844dNever scannednever seen before
- 360b2c9242365d6c0fda…be3d9aNever scannednever seen before
- cd2f60075064dfc2e65c…356b08Never scannednever seen before
- 2f4d915840c287c54188…066384Never scannednever seen before
- 036c32dc38a30a7f09ce…68d72dNever scannednever seen before
- ef59713151ac9ee78e13…470e48Never scannednever seen before
- 1947f8b188ab4ab6aa72…368fb7Never scannednever seen before
- 4a9d4a76514f399a9652…e2336dNever scannednever seen before
- d2a7999e234e33828888…723b6fNever scannednever seen before
- 34048abaa070ecc13b31…8c8b32Never 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
- 2 / 74engines flagged
- 1,125sources in submission history
Why these facts are shown
Each statement identifies whether it was directly recorded or derived from saved scan facts.
- 01
1 high-confidence signature or behavior rule matched this file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceDerivedSourceSignature and behavior rulesObserved at - 02
2 of 74 antivirus engines flagged the file, including APEX and Webroot.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceAntivirus analysisObserved at - 03
The hash has a long, established submission history across 1,125 sources.
ProvenanceDerivedSourceSubmission historyObserved at - 04
Scanned file: sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe — a48ef2d0d7a9d5d5ca9dea6e7017140e682b0eb6d15c33ace93c7f8666e746d3
ProvenanceObservedSourceUploaded fileObserved at - 05
Observed process — "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\software.exe"
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 06
Observed process — "C:\Windows\system32\NOTEPAD.EXE" C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\updater_readme.txt
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 07
File written: mfc140u.dll — C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI54922\Pythonwin\mfc140u.dll
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 08
File written: win32ui.pyd — C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI54922\Pythonwin\win32ui.pyd
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 09
Contacted host: 104.21.52.91 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at
Detection sources at a glance
The available sources did not agree on a named threat category.
Available reference checks returned no match, but at least one source was unavailable. This is not a clean result.
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.
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\system32\NOTEPAD.EXE" C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\updater_readme.txtSandbox observed process activity targeting LSASS (Windows credential store). Legitimate software has no business reading LSASS memory — this is Mimikatz-shape behaviour.
EvidenceC:\Windows\system32\lsass.exeThe 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.
Evidence104.21.52.91
2 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
- sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe
- Format
- Win32 EXE
- Code signing
- Signature not verified: Sims4Updater
- Size
- 20.2 MB
- Last analyzed
- Sep 7, 2026, 6:05 PM UTC
a48ef2d0d7a9d5d5ca9dea6e7017140e682b0eb6d15c33ace93c7f8666e746d3Safety & FAQ
Complete recovery guidance and answers for the next decision.
What to do now
We couldn't fully clear this file. Treat it with caution.
- Recovery step 01
Don't run it unless you're certain it came from a source you trust.
- Recovery step 02
Check where you got it — an unexpected attachment or a random download link is a red flag.
- Recovery step 03
If its origin cannot be confirmed, delete this file and use a fresh copy from a trusted source. Get a fresh copy from the developer's official site or an official app store.
- Recovery step 04
If you're still unsure, scan it again in a day or two — detections often catch up on newer files.
Safety FAQ
Direct answers grounded in the saved verdict and evidence in this report.
Is sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe safe, or is it malware?
What is sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe?
How many antivirus engines detected sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe?
What should I do if I already ran sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe?
How do I remove sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe?
Is sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe digitally signed?
What is the SHA-256 hash of sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe?
How up to date is this analysis of sims-4-updater-v2.4.11.exe?
Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.