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Verdict Suspicious

Analyzed , 11 days ago

Is ClearDefenderHistory.cmd safe? Treat it as suspicious.

The script tampers with Defender history and quarantine using elevated PowerShell, but only Kaspersky flags it and no corroborated malware family or network activity appears.

Read the whole reasonShow less

Why Suspicious? One antivirus engine (Kaspersky) flags it and one of our detection rules matched it.

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

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

If it came from a link, an attachment or a stranger, delete it.

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 run 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 ran 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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ClearDefenderHistory.cmd: 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

1 of 61 flagged

  • Flagged 1
  • No detection 60
  • No result 14
FileClearDefenderHistory.cmd2.0 kBSHA-256 d1ee84596066…102be3
  • Code signing Not applicable
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 1y ago
1 strong detection rule matched this file.

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

This command script performs high-risk administrative actions: it elevates PowerShell, invokes dynamically evaluated code, uses a scheduled task, and removes Defender history, quarantine, and engine-database files. Kaspersky alone identifies Persik among 75 engines, while broader prevalence and the absence of corroborating sandbox, file it created, network, or malware-specific YARA evidence leave intent unresolved.

Where this verdict could be wrong3 caveats
  • Only 1 of the 61 antivirus engines that checked it flagged the script, and the named Persik family lacks multi-engine or strong major consensus.
  • The file has broad, established prevalence—102 submitters and 118 submissions—rather than being or exceptionally rare.
  • No sandbox run produced a malicious verdict, no malware-specific YARA rules matched, and no inspected child had a saved malicious verdict.

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
  • 13sandbox rule tags
  • 8spawned processes
  • 0network contacts
  • 38filesystem & 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: Listed the programs running on the test computer.

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

  • Note: Checked which security software was installed on the test computer.

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

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as creating a scheduled task; none was recorded.

  • Not confirmed: A sandbox rule tagged this run as contacting a server, but no contacted host 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 5: FileSeen in the test run

      ClearDefenderHistory.cmd

      d1ee84596066eec095a6e8edf4d7a1c00c0dde77bfc1f2d6424b776fd2102be3

      Uploaded file

  2. Processes

    What ran

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

      cmd.exe

      "C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe" /c start /wait "" "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\install.bat"

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

      cmd.exe

      C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /K "C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\install.bat"

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

  3. Files

    Created or changed

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

      ModuleAnalysisCache

      C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\ModuleAnalysisCache

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

      DWDH

      C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\DWDH

      Test run
    3. +1 more recorded observation

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

Chapter 04

Technical details

1 of the 61 antivirus engines that checked it flags it.

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: 1 of 61 engines flagged it · 14 gave no result Details for antivirus engines
Sandbox runVirusTotal sandboxesCompleteRuntime behaviour was recorded Details for sandbox run
Contacted hostsMalwareTips URL scannerComplete1 contacted host checked
Signature rulesYARAify community rules + MalwareTips rulesCompleteRisk signal: 2 MalwareTips behaviour rules Details for signature rules
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompleteNo match

Engines that flagged it 1

  • Kaspersky (major engine)UDS:Trojan.PowerShell.Persik

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Oct 15, 2026, 7:32 AM UTC
SHA-256
d1ee84596066eec095a6e8edf4d7a1c00c0dde77bfc1f2d6424b776fd2102be3
SHA-1
38fba51e3f49f797ba8b935fc1fc87161b5efc03
MD5
62c839a357979b71159c942f3e83e032

About this file

ClearDefenderHistory.cmd is a Powershell file of 2.0 kB.

Type and size
Powershell · 2.0 kB
Signer
Not applicable
First seen
Oct 25, 2025On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
102 distinct sources

First scanned

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

Short answers to the 6 questions people ask most about this file.

Is ClearDefenderHistory.cmd safe, or is it malware?
ClearDefenderHistory.cmd is rated Suspicious: some signs point to a problem, but nothing confirms it is harmful. 1 of the 61 antivirus engines that checked it flags it. Don't run it unless you're sure where it came from. If you need the program, download it again from the publisher's own website.
What is ClearDefenderHistory.cmd?
ClearDefenderHistory.cmd is a batch script, about 2.0 kB. VirusTotal first saw it on Oct 25, 2025.
How many antivirus engines detected ClearDefenderHistory.cmd?
1 of the 61 antivirus engines that checked it flags ClearDefenderHistory.cmd (Kaspersky). We weigh which engines flagged it and what else the scan found, not just the count.
What should I do if I already ran ClearDefenderHistory.cmd?
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.
What is the SHA-256 hash of ClearDefenderHistory.cmd?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of ClearDefenderHistory.cmd is d1ee84596066eec095a6e8edf4d7a1c00c0dde77bfc1f2d6424b776fd2102be3, and its MD5 is 62c839a357979b71159c942f3e83e032. 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 ClearDefenderHistory.cmd?
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.

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Recent reports on other files with the same rating.

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