File verdict·Decided by the MT AI Engine
Our call

Suspicious

ZIP archive extracts and runs unsigned PE files while contacting a direct IP with no DNS resolution.

starter
Trust score45Caution
uploaded-file.zip
178.9 KB
cc51dea6d98e36e5508b012ce99a
Antivirus engines
1 of 74 flagged
Code signing
Unsigned
Age
First seen 1mo ago
MT AI Engine · Verdict analysis

The reasoning behind this verdict

The MT AI Engine weighs every signal from this scan — antivirus detections, sandbox behaviour, code signing, prevalence and historical matches — to reach a single, evidence-based verdict.

65%Confidence
High
Reasoning

The single DrWeb detection on a medium-prevalence unsigned ZIP is offset by broad tier-1 clean reports and absence of sandbox malice verdicts. Direct-IP C2 without domains plus dropped PE files remain concerning indicators. Overall evidence sits in mixed territory without strong tier-1 consensus or confirmed malicious children.

Key signals · 5

Each signal cites a concrete token from the evidence the arbiter saw — engine name, MITRE technique, signer string, or an exact count.

  1. engines.topDetections[0]: DrWeb tier1 result Trojan.Starter.8416

  2. behaviour.contactedIps: 162.159.36.2 with zero domains (MalwareTips.Synth.DirectIpC2)

  3. behaviour.offensiveTechniques: T1562.001

  4. droppedChildren.hasMaliciousChild: false (4 children unknown)

  5. prevalence.classification: medium (60 unique sources)

Points in its favour
  • 14 tier-1 engines reported clean
  • No malicious sandbox verdict
  • No malicious dropped children
  • No external intelligence hits
Points against
  • Direct IP contact without DNS (MalwareTips.Synth.DirectIpC2)
  • T1562.001 impair defenses technique observed
  • Unsigned archive with dropped PE children
  • Single tier-1 detection on medium-prevalence file
Recommended action

Treat as suspicious; quarantine the archive and monitor endpoints for the extracted Launcher components and the observed direct IP.

What this file does

What it attempted when executed in an isolated sandbox

  • High concern: Talks to a remote server to take commands or send out your data.

  • High concern: Tries to disable or bypass your security software.

  • High concern: Hijacks how Windows loads programs so it runs automatically.

  • Moderate concern: Checks whether it's being watched in a sandbox before acting.

  • Note: Reads your Windows user-account details.

  • Note: Collects details about your system.

Translated from the file's technical behaviour during analysis. It never ran on your device.

What to do now

We couldn't fully clear this file. Treat it with caution.

  1. Don't run it unless you're certain it came from a source you trust.

  2. Check where you got it — an email attachment or a random download link is a red flag.

  3. If you're unsure, delete it. You can always re-download a clean copy from the official source.

  4. If you're still unsure, scan it again in a day or two — detections often catch up on newer files.

Threat family attribution

starter corroborated by 2 sources

  • VT (74 engines)
    starter
  • MT AI Engine
    starter
Runtime behaviour

What this file did when executed

This file was detonated in 1 sandbox and its runtime behaviour was observed.

MITRE ATT&CK
6

Adversary techniques mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

T1033· Reads user infoT1071· Remote server (C2)T1082· System reconT1497· Sandbox evasionT1562.001· Disables securityT1574· Execution hijack
Spawned processes
6
$(unnamed)
"C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\Launcher.exe"
$(unnamed)
"C:\Windows\system32\rundll32.exe" "C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\Launcher.dll",#1
$(unnamed)
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\unarchiver.exe "C:\Windows\SysWow64\unarchiver.exe" "C:\Users\user\Desktop\Launcher.zip"
$(unnamed)
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\7za.exe "C:\Windows\System32\7za.exe" x -pinfected -y -o"C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\fwnolikr.vz2" "C:\Users\user\Desktop\Launcher.zip"
$(unnamed)
C:\Windows\System32\conhost.exe C:\Windows\system32\conhost.exe 0xffffffff -ForceV1
$(unnamed)
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\cmd.exe "cmd.exe" /C "C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\fwnolikr.vz2\Launcher.exe"
Network activity
1
IP addresses1
  • 162.159.36.2
Filesystem & mutexes
8
Files written8
  • C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser
  • C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\fwnolikr.vz2
  • C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\fwnolikr.vz2\Launcher.dll
  • C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\fwnolikr.vz2\Launcher.exe
  • C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\fwnolikr.vz2\Launcher.exe.manifest
+3 more
Dropped payload

Files this sample writes at runtime

This file drops 4 children at runtime. None are currently flagged malicious in our cache.

4 unseen
  • fb07af2aead3bdf360f572ba03Never scanned
    never seen before
  • c5cc6765b2fcacca179c510903Never scanned
    never seen before
  • f83ba415d9be3e9a0659836a51Never scanned
    never seen before
  • 557abdcccfb25bdc93635542c5Never scanned
    never seen before
No researcher-database hits
External threat-intel sources were not collected for this scan.
Signature matches

YARA & heuristic rule matches

One or more medium-severity heuristic rules matched. Not definitive, but the patterns match known malware behaviour.

1 synthesis
MITRE ATT&CK profile
C2× 1
MalwareTips synthesis rules
Our own detection rules, applied to the scan data and sandbox behaviour
  • DirectIpC2medium

    Sample contacted 1 external IP address(es) and zero domains. Benign software virtually always uses DNS; no-DNS direct-IP C2 is a strong malware indicator because it bypasses reputation systems and dodges domain-based blocklists.

    Evidence
    162.159.36.2
Antivirus engine breakdown

1 detection across 74 engines

1 malicious0 suspicious73 clean
Tier-117 engines
1flag
Top commercial AVs (low FP rate)
Tier-240 engines
0flag
Mainstream engines with mixed FP rates
Low-trust17 engines
0flag
Heuristic / generic-AI engines (high FP rate)
DrWeb
malicious
Trojan.Starter.8416
Hash cc51dea6d98e… cross-referenced against 74 AV engines via our AV network.
Prevalence

How widely this file has been seen

Moderate prevalence — neither rare nor common. No strong prior applies.

Medium
Unique uploaders
60
Moderate upload volume.
Total submissions
72
Includes repeat uploads by the same source.
First seen
1mo ago
Jun 12, 2026
Prevalence quadrant
Rare · New
Targeted malware lives here
Common · New
Just-released software
Rare · Old
Niche or internal tooling
Common · Old
Trusted legitimate binaries
File identity

Forensic fingerprint

File biography
First seen (VT)
6/12/2026, 3:51:37 PM UTC
First seen (MalwareBazaar)
Last analysis (VT)
7/11/2026, 1:28:27 AM UTC
Scanned here
7/15/2026, 7:27:03 AM UTC
File name
uploaded-file.zip
Size
178.9 KB
MIME type
(unknown)
Detected type
ZIP
SHA-256
cc51dea6d98e36e550a72f3a3bce93204ef1989840b02b1157df8a8b012ce99a
MD5
4f4afce0dcf508aacf97889e59da70e5
SHA-1
c6a3115e824b9eccaffd5e8635b16fc66b457409
First seen (VT)
6/12/2026, 3:51:37 PM UTC
Last analysis (VT)
7/11/2026, 1:28:27 AM UTC
First scan (MalwareTips)
7/15/2026, 7:27:03 AM UTC
Last scan (MalwareTips)
7/15/2026, 7:27:03 AM UTC
Behavior tags
ziplong-sleepsdetect-debug-environmentcontains-pe
Frequently asked

Safety FAQ

Common questions about uploaded-file.zip, answered from the scan data above.

  • uploaded-file.zip is suspicious — treat it as unsafe until you're sure. 1 of 74 antivirus engines flag it (family: starter), which isn't a strong consensus but is enough to be cautious. Don't opened or extracted it unless you fully trust where it came from, and prefer downloading the software fresh from its official site.
  • uploaded-file.zip is a compressed archive, about 179 KB. We identify a file by its cryptographic hash rather than its name, because the same filename can be reused by completely different files — the hash below is the reliable fingerprint.
  • 1 of 74 antivirus engines flagged uploaded-file.zip, 1 of them as outright malicious. A small number of detections can include false positives, so we weigh which engines flagged it and what else the file does, not just the raw count.
  • Act quickly. 1) Disconnect the device from the internet to stop the malware communicating or spreading. 2) Run a full scan with reputable anti-malware software (such as Malwarebytes) and quarantine everything it finds. 3) Change your important passwords from a DIFFERENT, clean device — many threats log keystrokes or steal saved credentials. 4) If you bank or shop on this device, watch closely for fraud and alert your bank. 5) For a confirmed infection, the most reliable fix is to back up your personal files and reinstall the operating system for a clean start.
  • To remove uploaded-file.zip: 1) restart into Safe Mode (Safe Mode with Networking if you need to download a tool) so the malware doesn't auto-start. 2) Run a full scan with reputable anti-malware software and let it quarantine or delete the detections. 3) Delete the original uploaded-file.zip file and empty the Recycle Bin/Trash. 4) Check your browser extensions, startup items, and scheduled tasks for anything unfamiliar. 5) Reboot and scan again to confirm it's gone. If detections keep coming back, a clean operating-system reinstall is the most dependable cure.
  • uploaded-file.zip is classified as a trojan — malware disguised as something harmless to trick you into running it. Engines attribute it to the starter family. Knowing the family matters because it tells you the likely impact — data theft, remote control, file encryption, or unwanted ads — and guides the cleanup.
  • The SHA-256 hash of uploaded-file.zip is cc51dea6d98e36e550a72f3a3bce93204ef1989840b02b1157df8a8b012ce99a, and its MD5 is 4f4afce0dcf508aacf97889e59da70e5. This hash is the file's unique fingerprint — two files with the same SHA-256 are identical. Use it to confirm you're looking at exactly this file (not just one with the same name) when comparing against antivirus databases or a download's published checksum.
  • This report reflects the scan run on July 15, 2026. Because a file's hash never changes, the identity of uploaded-file.zip is fixed — but antivirus coverage improves over time, so a file that looks clean today can pick up detections later (and vice-versa). If you need the latest picture, MalwareTips staff can re-run the analysis from scratch.
Community classification

Reviews & malware reports(0)

Tell the community what you saw. Tag the sample — Trojan, Adware, False Positive — and share what the file did on your system. Your report helps confirm or dispute the AV verdict.

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Files are processed in a streaming pass-through — MalwareTips never stores the binary on its servers. Only the scan result (hash, detections, verdict) is retained so the next person who scans the same file gets an instant answer. If you ran this file on your computer and are worried, scan your system with an up-to-date antivirus and change critical passwords from a different device.