Malicious
Unsigned installer flagged as EDRSilencer hacktool by Kaspersky and others, with process injection (T1055), LSASS access, and a malicious dropped child.
d6ba6bf6cff69a19d8…c8f82fb371The 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.
Tier-1 engines including Kaspersky explicitly name it EDRSilencer hacktool, corroborated by tier2/low-trust detections and high-severity heuristics for process injection and credential dumping. A dropped child was previously verdicted malicious, strengthening the case. Unsigned status and debug-environment tag align with offensive tooling. While many tier-1 engines are clean, hacktool principles mandate malicious verdict on confirmed labels regardless of intent.
Each signal cites a concrete token from the evidence the arbiter saw — engine name, MITRE technique, signer string, or an exact count.
Kaspersky (tier1): HackTool.Win64.EDRSilencer.ar (hacktool=true)
Alibaba / Antiy-AVL / CTX: EDRSilencer hacktool detections
droppedChildren d6a0a37ba8d07bbca3606c1ef06dea7f7b49b88c51f46bccfd7d33f3295f916b (malicious verdict)
triggeredHeuristics Synth.ProcessInjection (T1055, CreateRemoteThread into Explorer.EXE)
behaviour.offensiveTechniques: T1055
- 15 tier1 engines clean (e.g. BitDefender, ESET)
- No malicious sandbox consensus
- Medium prevalence, no community comments
- EDRSilencer hacktool (Kaspersky, multiple engines)
- Process injection (T1055 into Explorer.exe)
- LSASS targeting (credential dump shape)
- Malicious dropped child file
- Direct IP contact (162.159.36.2, no DNS)
- Unsigned executable
Treat as confirmed hacktool: quarantine the file, full system scan, and monitor for related processes or mutexes. Do not execute HeliosSetup.exe.
What this file does
What it attempted when executed in an isolated sandbox
High concern: Drops additional malware files onto your PC when it runs.
High concern: Hides inside another running program to evade antivirus.
High concern: Talks to a remote server to take commands or send out your data.
Moderate concern: Obfuscates or packs its code to avoid detection.
Moderate concern: Deletes traces of itself to cover its tracks.
Moderate concern: Scans through your files and folders.
Moderate concern: Checks whether it's being watched in a sandbox before acting.
Translated from the file's technical behaviour during analysis. It never ran on your device.
Threat context
How hacktools are abused
This is a hacking or cracking tool — the kind used to bypass software licences, generate fake keys, or attack other systems. Even when the tool 'works', these downloads very often carry hidden malware.
Bottom line:Running one means trusting an anonymous author with full access to your PC — rarely worth the risk.
What to do now
This file is dangerous. Treat it as harmful and remove it.
Don't open or run this file. Delete it from your Downloads (or wherever you saved it), then empty the Recycle Bin.
If you already opened it, disconnect from the internet and run a full scan with your antivirus — Windows Security, built into Windows, is sufficient.
If you typed any passwords while it was open, change them from a device you trust.
It can drop extra files, so run a full system scan — not just a quick one — to catch anything it left behind.
In future, only download software from the official website or an official app store.
edrsilencer corroborated by 2 sources
- VT (76 engines)edrsilencer
- MT AI EngineEDRSilencer
What this file did when executed
This file was detonated in 1 sandbox and its runtime behaviour was observed.
Adversary techniques mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
- 162.159.36.2
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\HeliosSetup_62375\GUIInstaller.exe
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\HeliosSetup_62375\HeliosWebMarshall.exe
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\HeliosSetup_62375\HeliosWebMarshallCommunicator.exe
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\HeliosSetup_62375\helios_notify.exe
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\HeliosSetup_62375\bloom_filter.hebf
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\HeliosSetup_62375
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\KnownGameList.bin
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\GameDVR\KnownGameList.update
- Global\SyncRootManager
- Local\Mutexf01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms
- Local\Mutex5f7b5f1e01b83767.automaticDestinations-ms
- Global\OneSettingQueryMutex+compat+encapsulation
Files this sample writes at runtime
The sandbox saw this file drop 10 children. 1 of them is already known-malicious in our database — this file is a dropper.
- ea34b21ea7e43554fe8d…4d7273Never scannednever seen before
- f4992c7a55221726ebed…61e9a7Never scannednever seen before
- d54ec6ee82db68f3f023…1fee80Never scannednever seen before
- 58e0bdbd8cdacd40135d…b0283aNever scannednever seen before
- 25063a008668a6db2571…2a33a0Never scannednever seen before
- 15cad5c2b5586e055c16…19b2a3Never scannednever seen before
- f7b0421daf8b64147086…aa07ffNever scannednever seen before
- c19b18a6b71e50997d7f…7439a0Never scannednever seen before
- d6a0a37ba8d07bbca360…5f916bMalicious6/76 enginestrust 84from our cache
- ae69309c5e356350ea28…19cc08Never scannednever seen before
YARA & heuristic rule matches
A researcher-curated or high-severity heuristic rule matched this sample. These rules target specific malware families and are near-definitive.
MITRE T1055 (Process Injection) observed — CreateRemoteThread / APC / reflective-DLL injection. The payload is being smuggled into a legitimate process to bypass AV hooks.
EvidenceC:\Windows\Explorer.EXESandbox observed process activity targeting LSASS (Windows credential store). Legitimate software has no business reading LSASS memory — this is Mimikatz-shape behaviour.
EvidenceKaspersky: HackTool.Win64.EDRSilencer.arSample 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.
Evidence162.159.36.2
25 detections across 76 engines
Section entropy & packers
Section-level entropy and packer detection from the PE header. Nothing suspicious here — entropy is within the normal range for unpacked code.
How widely this file has been seen
Moderate prevalence — neither rare nor common. No strong prior applies.
Forensic fingerprint
- File name
- HeliosSetup.exe
- Size
- 18.69 MB
- MIME type
- (unknown)
- Detected type
- Win32 EXE
- SHA-256
- d6ba6bf6cff69a19d823a53860476f270f21babc082c52202c341bc8f82fb371
- MD5
- a37571ab241f01bfc887d35dcf527fc2
- SHA-1
- 98d14e41154b0455d90466f3411ffdf3375d2cc7
- PE imphash
- 0713d6f3e857162ba251346743ca9437
- First seen (VT)
- 3/31/2026, 1:55:34 PM
- Last analysis (VT)
- 4/23/2026, 4:40:27 PM
- First scan (MalwareTips)
- 4/20/2026, 1:46:14 PM
- Last scan (MalwareTips)
- 4/24/2026, 2:10:36 AM
Safety FAQ
Common questions about HeliosSetup.exe, answered from the scan data above.
- Yes — HeliosSetup.exe is malicious, so do not run it, and delete it. 25 of 76 antivirus engines flag it (family: EDRSilencer). It behaves as a hacktool — dual-use offensive tooling that is dangerous regardless of intent. If you've already run it, see the removal and recovery steps below.
- HeliosSetup.exe is a Windows executable program, about 18.7 MB. Our analysis identifies it as malicious (family: EDRSilencer) — a hacktool — dual-use offensive tooling that is dangerous regardless of intent. Because a file's name and icon can be faked, the safest way to identify it is by its cryptographic hash (below), not its filename.
- 25 of 76 antivirus engines flagged HeliosSetup.exe, 25 of them as outright malicious. A detection rate at this level is a reliable signal that the file is dangerous.
- 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 HeliosSetup.exe: 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 HeliosSetup.exe 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.
- HeliosSetup.exe is classified as a hacktool — dual-use offensive tooling that is dangerous regardless of intent. Engines attribute it to the EDRSilencer 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 HeliosSetup.exe is d6ba6bf6cff69a19d823a53860476f270f21babc082c52202c341bc8f82fb371, and its MD5 is a37571ab241f01bfc887d35dcf527fc2. 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 April 20, 2026. Because a file's hash never changes, the identity of HeliosSetup.exe 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.
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.