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Verdict Malicious

Analyzed , 11 days ago

Is Adobe Installer safe? No, we rate this exact file malicious.

Multiple independent engines, including Microsoft and ESET, identify this executable as a cracking hacktool.

Strong evidence · Two or more major antivirus engines agree.

Remove it unless you use it on purpose

Keep it only if you installed it on purpose for security testing. Otherwise delete it and run a full antivirus scan.

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 install 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 installed 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

Adobe Installer: Malicious — MalwareTips file scan

The link always shows the latest result for this exact file (its SHA-256 fingerprint).

Antivirus results

32 of 67 flagged

  • Flagged 32
  • No detection 35
  • No result 8
FileAdobe Installer7.6 MBSHA-256 b3506f660a33…bd7c3c
  • Code signing Signer not verified
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 2y ago
A sandbox test run rated its behaviour as malicious.

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

Thirty-two of the 67 antivirus engines that checked it flagged the executable, including eight major detections and 31 independent engine votes. Four major antivirus engines converge on the crack family, while Microsoft, ESET, and Ikarus explicitly use crack or hacking tool labels. Three malware-specific YARA rules provide additional static corroboration. Although the file presents an Adobe Inc. signer name, the signature did not verify and the brand mismatch score is 90. Its broad prevalence and several benign similar-file decisions are outweighed by the much stronger detections and behavior for this exact hash.

Where this verdict could be wrong4 caveats
  • The file is common and long-observed, with 3,722 submitters and 24,789 submissions, but prevalence does not make a confirmed cracking tool harmless.
  • One of two sandbox runs returned clean, so runtime verdicts are split rather than unanimous.
  • Three of five similar-file decisions were safe, although those samples had only 0–2 detections out of 75 compared with 32 here.
  • No inspected contacted host was cached as malicious or suspicious, and no file it created had a saved malicious decision.

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 · all complete. See every source

Chapter 03

What it did in our test

It ran in our isolated test environment; 1 test environment rated what it did as risky.

Test run summary

Capture complete
  • 16sandbox rule tags
  • 4spawned processes
  • 5network contacts
  • 33filesystem & mutex artifacts

What the test run showed

What the file did on a test computer

Confirmed in the test run

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

  • Moderate concern: Checked whether it was running on a 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: 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 code injection, but no injected program was recorded.

  • 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 7: FileSeen in the test run

      Adobe Installer

      b3506f660a3395674225893af2df056c338006d781c86f2fe05ef27130bd7c3c

      Uploaded file

  2. Processes

    What ran

    2
    1. Evidence 2 of 7: ProcessSeen in the test run

      Set-up.exe

      "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\Set-up.exe"

      Test run
    2. Evidence 3 of 7: ProcessSeen in the test run

      Set-up.exe

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  3. Files

    Created or changed

    2
    1. Evidence 4 of 7: Written fileSeen in the test run

      HDInstaller.log

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\CreativeCloud\ACC\AdobeDownload\HDInstaller.log

      Test run
    2. Evidence 5 of 7: Written fileSeen in the test run

      DiscoverCacheData.dat

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\PenWorkspace\DiscoverCacheData.dat

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  4. Network

    Hosts contacted

    2
    1. Evidence 6 of 7: Contacted hostSeen in the test run

      ocsp.digicert.com

      Contacted during the test run.

      Test run
    2. Evidence 7 of 7: Contacted hostSeen in the test run

      crl3.digicert.com

      Contacted during the test run.

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

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

Chapter 04

Technical details

32 of the 67 antivirus engines that checked it flag it; a signature that did not verify.

Sources checked

Every check behind this verdict

6 sources checked · all complete. Complete means the check returned a usable result; it does not mean the file is safe.

SourceStatusResultChecked
Antivirus enginesVirusTotal · 75 enginesCompleteRisk signal: 32 of 67 engines flagged it · 8 gave no result Details for antivirus engines
Sandbox runVirusTotal sandboxesCompleteWorth noting: Combined summary is split: malicious and clean verdicts Details for sandbox run
Contacted hostsMalwareTips URL scannerComplete19 contacted hosts checked Details for contacted hosts
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesCompleteRisk signal: 13 community YARA rules (2 malware-specific) · 1 MalwareTips behaviour rule Details for signature rules
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompleteNo match

Engines that flagged it 32

  • Avast (major engine)FileRepPup [PUP]
  • AVG (major engine)FileRepPup [PUP]
  • ESET-NOD32 (major engine)Win32/HackTool.Crack.OH potentially unsafe application
  • Fortinet (major engine)Riskware/Crack
  • GData (major engine)Win32.Application.Agent.N98JWC
  • Ikarus (major engine)PUA.HackTool.Crack
  • Microsoft (major engine)HackTool:Win32/Crack!MTB
  • Sophos (major engine)Generic Reputation PUA (PUA)
24 more in the full engine list

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Oct 15, 2026, 9:48 AM UTC
SHA-256
b3506f660a3395674225893af2df056c338006d781c86f2fe05ef27130bd7c3c
SHA-1
8c77c5e2f34a2ee0264d9b9e2ca5b47ea5830f95
MD5
75259d5534fe90d1e8830ceafad1b094

About this file

Adobe Installer is a Win32 EXE file of 7.6 MB.

Type and size
Win32 EXE · 7.6 MB
Signer
Adobe Inc. (unverified signature)Worth noting: Malware sometimes copies or steals a company's signature, so this does not mean that company made it.
First seen
Sep 29, 2024On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
3,722 distinct sources
Packer
None detected
Entropy
5.94 of 8

First scanned

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

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

Is Adobe Installer malware?
Adobe Installer 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. 32 of the 67 antivirus engines that checked it flag it.
What is Adobe Installer?
Adobe Installer is a software installer, about 7.6 MB. It carries no version information saying what it is or who made it. VirusTotal first saw it on Sep 29, 2024.
How many antivirus engines detected Adobe Installer?
32 of the 67 antivirus engines that checked it flag Adobe Installer, including Microsoft and ESET. We weigh which engines flagged it and what else the scan found, not just the count. A sandbox test run also rated its behaviour as malicious.
I already downloaded and installed Adobe Installer — what should I do?
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 Adobe Installer?
To remove Adobe Installer: 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 Adobe Installer?
Antivirus engines classify Adobe Installer as a hacking tool: a program that can switch off security software, test passwords or attack other computers.
Is Adobe Installer digitally signed?
It carries a signature in the name of Adobe Inc. 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 Adobe Installer?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of Adobe Installer is b3506f660a3395674225893af2df056c338006d781c86f2fe05ef27130bd7c3c, and its MD5 is 75259d5534fe90d1e8830ceafad1b094. 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 Adobe Installer?
This report reflects the scan on Oct 15, 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

Other files people checked with the same name, and recent reports with the same rating. A matching name does not make two files the same: only the SHA-256 fingerprint identifies a file.

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This report and its SHA-256 fingerprint are public, so the next person who checks the same file gets an instant answer; documents and images are listed by type instead of their file name. A file we had not seen before is uploaded to VirusTotal, whose security partners and subscribers can download it; MalwareTips deletes its own copy after the scan. If you ran this file and are worried, scan your device with up-to-date security software.