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Verdict Malicious

Analyzed , 1 month ago

Is 42.zip safe? No, we rate this exact file malicious.

Classic 42.zip zip-bomb archive flagged by three major antivirus engines and researcher-curated CIRCL entry.

Strong evidence · Two or more major antivirus engines agree.

Don't open or extract this archive

Treat the file as malicious and avoid extraction; delete it unless it is intentionally retained for isolated, controlled testing.

What to do now3 steps

This ZIP archive is harmful. Don't open or extract it, and delete it.

If you haven't opened or extracted it

  1. Don't open or extract this archive. Delete the archive and any files you extracted from it, then empty the Recycle Bin or Trash.

If you already opened or extracted it

  1. If you already extracted it, delete the extracted files too and run a full antivirus scan.

  2. If a page it opened asked for a password or card details and you entered them, change that password and call your bank.

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

42.zip: Malicious — 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

6 of 33 flagged

  • Flagged 6
  • No detection 27
  • No result 42
File42.zip42.8 kBSHA-256 bbd05de19aa2…2c36fa
  • Code signing Not applicable
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 14y ago
6 of the 33 antivirus engines that checked it flag it, including Symantec (Norton) and McAfee.

Chapter 02

Why we think so

2 points against it and 2 in its favour, checked against the scan evidence.

MT AI Engine · Verdict analysis

The reasoning behind this verdict

Analyst conclusion

Three major antivirus engines label the file as a zip bomb, and external intelligence confirms it matches the well-known 42.zip sample. Sandbox analysis did not produce a malicious verdict, but the file's age, prevalence, and consistent naming across sources support the malicious classification.

Where this verdict could be wrong2 caveats
  • No sandbox returned a malicious verdict and no dropped file is known to be malicious — sandbox did not classify the sample as malicious.
  • No contacted-host reputation result was saved — host-reputation cross-check was not completed, so no complete malicious-host result is available.

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 not needed or not applicable. 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
  • 4sandbox rule tags
  • 4spawned processes
  • 0network contacts
  • 18filesystem & mutex artifacts

What the test run showed

What the file did on a test computer

Confirmed in the test run

  • Note: Read basic details of the test computer, such as its Windows version.

Sandbox labels we could not confirm (common in safe files too)

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as contacting a server, but no contacted host was recorded.

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as creating a service; no new service 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 trojans work

A trojan pretends to be something useful or harmless so that you run it. Once open, it does its real job in the background, from stealing data to opening a back door or downloading more malware.

Bottom line:The disguise is the whole trick, so a trustworthy-looking name or icon means nothing.

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 5: FileSeen in the test run

      42.zip

      bbd05de19aa2af1455c0494639215898a15286d9b05073b6c4817fe24b2c36fa

      Uploaded file

  2. Processes

    What ran

    2
    1. Evidence 2 of 5: ProcessSeen in the test run

      WINWORD.EXE

      "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16\WINWORD.EXE" "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\moving_structure.doc" /q

      Test run
    2. Evidence 3 of 5: ProcessSeen in the test run

      cmd.exe

      C:\Windows\SysWOW64\cmd.exe C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /c ""C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_441\bin\java.exe" -jar "C:\Users\user\Desktop\download.jar""

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  3. Files

    Created or changed

    2
    1. Evidence 4 of 5: Written fileSeen in the test run

      {56EC85A0-CC4B-48DC-ADB0-ED344B1829BE} - OProcSessId.dat

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\{56EC85A0-CC4B-48DC-ADB0-ED344B1829BE} - OProcSessId.dat

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

      Normal.dotm

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dotm

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

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

Chapter 04

Technical details

6 of the 33 antivirus engines that checked it flag it.

Sources checked

Every check behind this verdict

6 sources checked · 5 complete · 1 not needed or not applicable. Complete means the check returned a usable result; it does not mean the file is safe.

SourceStatusResultChecked
Antivirus enginesVirusTotal · 75 enginesCompleteRisk signal: 6 of 33 engines flagged it · 42 gave no result Details for antivirus engines
Sandbox runVirusTotal sandboxesCompleteRuntime behaviour was recorded Details for sandbox run
Contacted hostsMalwareTips URL scannerNot neededThe sandbox recorded no contacted hosts to checkNo date recorded
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesCompleteNo rule matched
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompletePositive signal: Known software

Engines that flagged it 6

  • Fortinet (major engine)Riskware/zipbomb
  • GData (major engine)Archive.Mail-Bomb.ZipBomb.I81YT0
  • Symantec (major engine)Trojan.Archbomb
  • huorongTrojan/ZipBomb
  • KingsoftWin32.Troj.zipbomb.v
  • McAfeeDPUP:Archive/zipbomb.NE

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Aug 31, 2026, 3:35 AM UTC
SHA-256
bbd05de19aa2af1455c0494639215898a15286d9b05073b6c4817fe24b2c36fa
SHA-1
6c42c62696616b72bbfc88a4be4ead57aa7bc503
MD5
1df9a18b18332f153918030b7b516615

About this file

42.zip is a ZIP file of 42.8 kB.

Type and size
ZIP · 42.8 kB
Signer
Not applicable
First seen
Feb 28, 2012On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
3,470 distinct sources

First scanned

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

Short answers to the 8 questions people ask most about this file.

Is 42.zip malware?
Yes. This copy of 42.zip (SHA-256 bbd05de1…36fa) is malicious. Other files with the same name can be different, so check the hash. Don't open or extract it. Delete the archive and any files you extracted from it, then empty the Recycle Bin or Trash. 6 of the 33 antivirus engines that checked it flag it, most as zipbomb. Antivirus engines classify it as a trojan: malware disguised as something harmless so that you run it. If you've already opened or extracted it, see the steps below.
What is 42.zip?
42.zip is a ZIP archive, about 42.8 kB. VirusTotal first saw it on Feb 28, 2012.
How many antivirus engines detected 42.zip?
6 of the 33 antivirus engines that checked it flag 42.zip, including Symantec (Norton) and McAfee. 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 opened or extracted 42.zip — what should I do?
1) Delete the archive and any files you extracted from it, then empty the Recycle Bin or Trash. 2) Run a full scan with your antivirus. 3) If it asked you to enable editing or macros, or a page it opened asked for a password or card details, change that password from another device and call your bank if you paid.
How do I remove 42.zip?
Delete the archive and any files you extracted from it, then empty the Recycle Bin or Trash. If you ran anything that was inside it, run a full scan with your antivirus.
What kind of malware is 42.zip?
Antivirus engines classify 42.zip as a trojan: malware disguised as something harmless so that you run it. Engines attribute it to the zipbomb family.
What is the SHA-256 hash of 42.zip?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of 42.zip is bbd05de19aa2af1455c0494639215898a15286d9b05073b6c4817fe24b2c36fa, and its MD5 is 1df9a18b18332f153918030b7b516615. 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 42.zip?
This report reflects the scan on Aug 31, 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

Recent reports on other files with the same rating.

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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.