Is spotify_cli.exe safe?
All 75 antivirus engines were silent, and the executable carries a verified Spotify AB signature, outweighing one unconfirmed process-injection behavior mapping.
The strongest evidence supports an authentic Spotify executable: its Spotify AB signature is verified, the brand matches, and 0 of 75 engines detected a threat. One sandbox mapped activity to T1055 Process Injection, but produced no malicious conclusion; the dropped child also remains incompletely characterized.
a4b5dba1f75be9fa85…fec4b2d7a5099eRecommended next actions
Before running
Run it only when it came from the developer's official site or another source you independently trust.
If you already ran 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.
The strongest evidence supports an authentic Spotify executable: its Spotify AB signature is verified, the brand matches, and 0 of 75 engines detected a threat. One sandbox mapped activity to T1055 Process Injection, but produced no malicious conclusion; the dropped child also remains incompletely characterized.
The sample was not flagged by any of 75 antivirus engines, including the contributing tier-1 products. Its digital signature verifies as Spotify AB, and the curated publisher match confirms that the signer aligns with the claimed brand. One completed sandbox mapped activity to T1055 Process Injection, but it did not issue a malicious verdict and most other mapped techniques were common application behaviors. The inspected child was not identified as malicious, although its final classification remains unknown. A prior executable with the same verified signer also received a favorable assessment, providing limited supporting history. No complete contacted-host reputation result is available, but the recorded sandbox evidence contains no network contacts requiring such a cross-check.
What We Detected
None of 75 antivirus engines flagged the executable, and 16 tier-1 engines reported no detection. The file is digitally signed by Spotify AB, the signature verifies correctly, and the trusted-publisher record matches Spotify. There is also no detected brand mismatch or evidence that the executable is packed.
Threat Behavior
One completed sandbox run mapped an activity to MITRE T1055, Process Injection. This is a meaningful caution signal, but the sandbox did not issue a malicious verdict, and the remaining 14 behavioral techniques are commonly seen in legitimate software. The sample created Spotify Crashpad paths and recorded no contacted domains, IP addresses, or URLs. One dropped child was inspected without being identified as malicious, although its classification remains unresolved.
What To Do Now
Confirm that the file came from Spotify's official distribution channel and that Windows still reports a valid Spotify AB signature before running it. Keep endpoint protection enabled and rescan if the signature changes, the application performs unexpected actions, or new detections appear.
Where this verdict could be wrong3 caveats
- The completed sandbox mapped activity to T1055 Process Injection, which warrants caution even though it issued no malicious verdict.
- The single dropped child was not identified as malicious, but droppedChildren.rollup.unknown=1 means its nature remains unresolved.
- signing.signerStats.found=false, so no broad publisher-history record is available beyond one similar signer match.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- 0/75 antivirus engines detected the sample.
- The code signature is verified for Spotify AB.
- signing.trustedPublisher.matched=true for Spotify.
- brandMismatch=null and peAnalysis.likelyPacked=false.
- One prior verified Spotify AB signer match was assessed favorably.
- Sandbox evidence mapped activity to MITRE T1055 Process Injection.
- One dropped child remains unclassified.
- No established aggregate signer-history statistics are available for Spotify AB in this dataset.
- No complete contacted-host reputation result is available.
Use the file only if it came from Spotify's official channel and its Spotify AB signature remains valid. Keep endpoint protection enabled and investigate any unexpected process manipulation or child-file activity.
Coverage & freshness
Complete means the check returned a usable result. It does not mean the file is safe.
Antivirus
Complete0 of 75 engines flagged the file.
Sandbox
Complete1 isolated runtime environment contributed observations.
Network
Not runNo contacted-host reputation check is recorded.
No timestamp recordedYARA
Complete1 signature or behavior rule 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
- 3spawned processes
- 0network contacts
- 8filesystem & 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
spotify_cli.exe
a4b5dba1f75be9fa85590b9b2be0f357cc6469eee27c94dc35fec4b2d7a5099e
01Uploaded file
Processes
Runtime execution
- ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\software.exe"
02Isolated runtime analysis - ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Users\user\Desktop\program.exe"
03Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Files
Created or changed
- Written fileObserved
settings.dat
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Spotify\Crashpad\settings.dat
04Isolated runtime analysis - Written fileObserved
Spotify
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Spotify
05Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
5 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.
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Spotify\Crashpad\settings.dat
- C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Spotify
- C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Spotify\Crashpad
- C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Spotify\Crashpad\attachments
- C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Spotify\Crashpad\reports
Files this sample writes at runtime
This file drops 1 child at runtime. None are currently flagged malicious in our cache.
- e1699f494a8c4bebbdec…a8faa8Never 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.
- 1rule hit recorded
- 0 / 75engines flagged
- 25sources 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 75 antivirus engines flagged the file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceObservedSourceAntivirus analysisObserved at - 02
One or more independent reference checks were incomplete or unavailable.
ProvenanceDerivedSourceExternal-intelligence coverageObserved at - 03
The file has a valid code signature from Spotify AB.
ProvenanceObservedSourceCode-signing metadataObserved at - 04
Scanned file: spotify_cli.exe — a4b5dba1f75be9fa85590b9b2be0f357cc6469eee27c94dc35fec4b2d7a5099e
ProvenanceObservedSourceUploaded fileObserved at - 05
Observed process — "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\software.exe"
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 06
Observed process — "C:\Users\user\Desktop\program.exe"
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 07
File written: settings.dat — C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Spotify\Crashpad\settings.dat
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 08
File written: Spotify — C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Spotify
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:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\software.exe"
0 of 75 engines flagged this file
View all 75 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
Moderate prevalence — neither rare nor common. No strong prior applies.
Fingerprint and provenance
- File name
- spotify_cli.exe
- Format
- Win32 EXE
- Code signing
- Signature valid: Spotify AB
- Size
- 2.2 MB
- Last analyzed
- Sep 15, 2026, 1:55 PM UTC
a4b5dba1f75be9fa85590b9b2be0f357cc6469eee27c94dc35fec4b2d7a5099eSafety & 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
Run it only when it came 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 spotify_cli.exe safe?
What is spotify_cli.exe?
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Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.