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Verdict Malicious

Analyzed , 16 days ago

Is CheatEngine77.exe safe? No, we rate this exact file malicious.

OfferCore bundler detections from 31 of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it, including strong major agreement, substantially outweigh the clean sandbox run and verified…

Read the whole reasonShow less

Strong evidence · Two or more major antivirus engines agree.

Don't run it: it is unwanted software

If you already ran it, uninstall it and anything that came with it.

What to do now4 steps

This is unwanted software (adware or a bundled program), not an infection. Remove it and undo any changes it made.

If you haven't installed it

  1. Don't run this file. Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin.

If you already ran it

  1. Uninstall it and any program you don't recognise that arrived at the same time (Settings > Apps on Windows).

  2. Remove browser extensions you didn't add, and reset your browser's home page, new-tab page and search engine if they changed.

  3. Run a scan with your antivirus to catch anything bundled with it.

If you opened or installed it

Unwanted software is not a full infection, but it should go. These free MalwareTips guides show how to remove it.

Paste this report's link in your topic so helpers can see what was found.

Why we think so

Share this file report

CheatEngine77.exe: Malicious — MalwareTips file scan

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

Antivirus results

31 of 70 flagged

  • Flagged 31
  • No detection 39
  • No result 5
FileCheatEngine77.exe6.9 MBSHA-256 b376ea53f8f8…0d11e3
  • Code signing SYNAPTIX GLOBAL LTD.
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 1mo ago
31 of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag it, including Microsoft and ESET.

Chapter 02

Why we think so

5 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-one of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flagged this executable, with eight major detections and strong agreement on the OfferCore bundler family. The signer is verified but untrusted and has only one recorded sample, itself detected, while evidence from the test run includes a mapping despite the single sandbox run returning clean.

Where this verdict could be wrong5 caveats
  • The only completed sandbox run returned clean, so the test run did not reproduce a malicious sandbox verdict.
  • The verified digital signature confirms file integrity under SYNAPTIX GLOBAL LTD., although that publisher is not trusted here and has no clean history.
  • The complete host-reputation cross-check found no known-malicious hosts among 40 inspected contacts, though two were rated suspicious.
  • No inspected file it created had a malicious verdict; one dropped file remains unevaluated and is neutral missing coverage.
  • Malware-specific external research rules returned no matches, but rule-coverage gaps can produce such an absence.

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; no test environment rated what it did as risky.

Test run summary

Capture complete
  • 9sandbox rule tags
  • 6spawned processes
  • 40network contacts
  • 6filesystem & 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: Hid files or windows on the test computer.

  • Note: Deleted files or logs during the test run (installers often clean up after themselves).

  • 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.

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 bundlers and adware work

This is a bundler: a real-looking installer that hides extra software inside. When you run it, it installs things you never asked for, such as ad injectors, browser toolbars or fake 'PC cleaner' apps. The people behind it get paid for every app it installs.

Bottom line:It is not usually built to destroy files, but it slows the PC, floods it with ads and can be hard to remove completely.

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

      CheatEngine77.exe

      b376ea53f8f8a01fd6cee9c7afd27debc6047aeb04419b636eff04c96f0d11e3

      Uploaded file

  2. Processes

    What ran

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

      CheatEngine77.exe

      "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\CheatEngine77.exe"

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

      CheatEngine77.tmp

      "C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\is-F3VG5C9O3H.tmp\CheatEngine77.tmp" /SL5="$A0058,5592098,893952,C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\CheatEngine77.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

      CheatEngine77.tmp

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\is-F3VG5C9O3H.tmp\CheatEngine77.tmp

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

      $Quota:$Q:$INDEX_ALLOCATION

      C:\$Extend\$Quota:$Q:$INDEX_ALLOCATION

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  4. Network

    Hosts contacted

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

      d1dj9aohuk02ls.cloudfront.net

      Contacted during the test run.

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

      github.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

31 of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag it; signed by SYNAPTIX GLOBAL LTD..

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: 31 of 70 engines flagged it · 5 gave no result Details for antivirus engines
Sandbox runVirusTotal sandboxesCompleteCombined summary: clean verdict Details for sandbox run
Contacted hostsMalwareTips URL scannerComplete40 contacted hosts checked Details for contacted hosts
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesComplete2 MalwareTips behaviour rules Details for signature rules
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompleteNo match

Engines that flagged it 31

  • BitDefender (major engine)Gen:Variant.Application.Bundler.OfferCore.4
  • DrWeb (major engine)Trojan.InstallCore.4144
  • Emsisoft (major engine)Gen:Variant.Application.Bundler.OfferCore.4 (B)
  • ESET-NOD32 (major engine)Win32/OfferCore.B potentially unwanted application
  • Fortinet (major engine)Riskware/OfferCore
  • GData (major engine)Gen:Variant.Application.Bundler.OfferCore.4
  • Ikarus (major engine)PUA.INNO.CheatEngine
  • Microsoft (major engine)PUADlManager:Win32/OfferCore
23 more in the full engine list

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Oct 9, 2026, 10:59 PM UTC
SHA-256
b376ea53f8f8a01fd6cee9c7afd27debc6047aeb04419b636eff04c96f0d11e3
SHA-1
44df1c60d3cb7211c7e3e4627d389546d4d73624
MD5
6ff854dd871d17dfb5ecdc51cfecc2dd

About this file

CheatEngine77.exe is a Win32 EXE file of 6.9 MB.

Type and size
Win32 EXE · 6.9 MB
Signer
SYNAPTIX GLOBAL LTD.Valid code signature.
First seen
Sep 7, 2026On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
1,691 distinct sources
Packer
None detected
Entropy
6.36 of 8

First scanned

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

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

Is CheatEngine77.exe malware?
CheatEngine77.exe is not a virus, but it is unwanted software (adware or a bundled program). Don't run it. Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin. 31 of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag it, some as OfferCore. If you've already run it, see the removal steps below.
What is CheatEngine77.exe?
CheatEngine77.exe is a Windows program, about 6.9 MB. It carries no version information saying what it is or who made it. VirusTotal first saw it on Sep 7, 2026.
How many antivirus engines detected CheatEngine77.exe?
31 of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag CheatEngine77.exe, including Microsoft and ESET. 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.
I already downloaded and ran CheatEngine77.exe — what should I do?
1) Uninstall it, and any program you don't recognise that arrived at the same time, from Settings > Apps (or Control Panel > Programs). 2) Remove browser extensions you didn't add and reset your browser's home page, new-tab page and search engine if they changed. 3) Run a scan with your antivirus to catch anything bundled with it. It is unwanted software rather than an infection, so you don't need to disconnect the device, change passwords or reinstall anything unless the scan finds real malware.
How do I remove CheatEngine77.exe?
To remove CheatEngine77.exe: 1) uninstall it from Settings > Apps (or Control Panel > Programs), together with anything installed alongside it. 2) Remove unfamiliar browser extensions and reset browser settings it changed. 3) Delete it, then empty the Recycle Bin. 4) Run a scan with your antivirus and remove what it finds.
What kind of program is CheatEngine77.exe?
Antivirus engines classify CheatEngine77.exe as unwanted software: adware or a bundled program that installs things you didn't ask for. Engines attribute it to the OfferCore family.
Is CheatEngine77.exe digitally signed?
Yes. CheatEngine77.exe has a valid digital signature from SYNAPTIX GLOBAL LTD., which shows the file hasn't been changed since that publisher signed it. Malware is sometimes signed with stolen certificates, so a signature alone isn't proof of safety.
What is the SHA-256 hash of CheatEngine77.exe?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of CheatEngine77.exe is b376ea53f8f8a01fd6cee9c7afd27debc6047aeb04419b636eff04c96f0d11e3, and its MD5 is 6ff854dd871d17dfb5ecdc51cfecc2dd. 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 CheatEngine77.exe?
This report reflects the scan on Oct 9, 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, signer or threat family. A matching name does not make two files the same: only the SHA-256 fingerprint identifies a file.

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