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Verdict Suspicious

Analyzed , 3 months ago

Is Adobe Installer safe? Treat it as suspicious.

No antivirus engine flags this Adobe-named installer, but its Adobe code signature fails verification because the file was modified after signing, so its origin cannot be trusted.

Read the whole reasonShow less

Why Suspicious? A community rule for known malware matched it and it claims to be Adobe but is not signed by Adobe.

Moderate evidence · More than one sign points to a problem, but nothing confirms it is harmful.

Don't install it until you know where it came from

Avoid running this copy. Obtain the installer directly from Adobe's official website and keep your security software enabled.

What to do now4 steps

Some signs point to a problem, but nothing confirms it is harmful. Treat it with caution.

What to do

  1. Don't install it unless you're sure where it came from.

  2. Check where you got it: an unexpected attachment, a link someone sent you or a re-upload is a red flag.

  3. If you can't confirm where it came from, delete it. If you need the program, download it again from the publisher's own website.

If you already installed it

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

Not sure what to do?

Ask the MalwareTips community before you run it. If you already ran it, follow the cleanup guide.

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

Why we think so

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Adobe Installer: Suspicious — 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

0 of 68 flagged

  • Flagged 0
  • No detection 68
  • No result 6
FileAdobe Installer7.6 MBSHA-256 b9a187b59c75…26774d
  • Code signing Signer not verified
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 6y ago
The file claims to be Adobe, but its publisher identity does not match.

Chapter 02

Why we think so

4 points against it and 4 in its favour, checked against the scan evidence.

MT AI Engine · Verdict analysis

The reasoning behind this verdict

Analyst conclusion

None of the 68 antivirus engines that checked it flagged this installer, and it has been widely seen since 2020. However, the file claims to be from Adobe, and its Adobe signature is broken: the file was changed after it was signed. Treat it with caution and get the installer directly from Adobe instead.

Where this verdict could be wrong2 caveats
  • None of the 68 antivirus engines that checked it flagged the file, and it has been widely submitted for about six years, which fits a genuine Adobe download helper whose signature was broken by appended data.
  • The files written during the test run match Adobe Creative Cloud installer log paths, and no high-risk techniques were corroborated.

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 · 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
  • 20sandbox rule tags
  • 3spawned processes
  • 8network contacts
  • 40filesystem & 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: Used an unusual way to talk to a server.

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

  • Moderate concern: Hid files or windows on the test computer.

  • Note: Read the network settings of the test computer.

  • Note: Listed the programs running on the test computer.

  • Note: Talked to servers over the internet during the test run.

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 creating a service; no new service was recorded.

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as setting up auto-start; no auto-start entry was recorded.

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as weakening security settings; no setting change 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.

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

      b9a187b59c758ead0022e50bbaae4133d2e37b769a054249afc0b6aa2e26774d

      Uploaded file

  2. Processes

    What ran

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

      software.exe

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

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

      Adobe Installer.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

      104.18.11.39

      Contacted during the test run.

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

      104.18.10.39

      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

None of the 68 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 enginesCompletePositive signal: 0 of 68 engines flagged it · 6 gave no result Details for antivirus engines
Sandbox runVirusTotal sandboxesCompleteRuntime behaviour was recorded Details for sandbox run
Contacted hostsMalwareTips URL scannerPartial3 of 13 contacted hosts were cross-checked; coverage is incomplete Details for contacted hosts
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesCompleteWorth noting: 16 community YARA rules (1 malware-specific) · 1 MalwareTips behaviour rule Details for signature rules
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompleteNo match

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Jul 22, 2026, 1:59 PM UTC
SHA-256
b9a187b59c758ead0022e50bbaae4133d2e37b769a054249afc0b6aa2e26774d
SHA-1
f351b0c2996a3573d36deab9b6b3961876189f71
MD5
de70f0deed893bba56ccb78eafd59606

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
Jun 30, 2020On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
3,645 distinct sources
Packer
None detected
Entropy
7.18 of 8

First scanned Updated

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

Short answers to the 7 questions people ask most about this file.

Is Adobe Installer safe, or is it malware?
Adobe Installer is rated Suspicious: some signs point to a problem, but nothing confirms it is harmful. No antivirus engine flags it; the caution comes from other evidence, such as who made it, how widely it is used or what it did in a test run. Don't install it unless you're sure where it came from. If you need the software, download a fresh installer from the developer's own website.
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 Jun 30, 2020.
How many antivirus engines detected Adobe Installer?
None of the 68 antivirus engines that checked it flag Adobe Installer. A clean antivirus result is not proof of safety; the caution comes from other evidence, such as who made it, how widely it is used or what it did in a test run.
What should I do if I already installed Adobe Installer?
No infection is confirmed: the rating is a caution, not a malware finding. 1) Check where it came from. If you can't confirm the source, delete it. 2) Run a full scan with your security software. 3) If the scan finds something, follow its removal steps and change passwords you typed on the device since then.
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 b9a187b59c758ead0022e50bbaae4133d2e37b769a054249afc0b6aa2e26774d, and its MD5 is de70f0deed893bba56ccb78eafd59606. 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 Jul 22, 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.