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Verdict Safe

Analyzed , 1 month ago

Is Bootstrapper.exe safe? Yes, no threats found.

Microsoft-signed Bootstrapper.exe shows zero detections and matches four prior safe Microsoft-signed installers.

Read the whole reasonShow less

Strong evidence · A verified publisher signature, and no engine flags it.

Run it as usual if it came from the official source

Treat as safe for installation or execution when sourced from official Microsoft channels; retain all security software enabled.

Good practice2 tips

We found nothing harmful in this file.

  1. Run it only if it came from the developer's own website or an official app store.

  2. Keep your antivirus and Windows updates switched on.

No scanner can promise a file is 100% safe.

Why we think so

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Bootstrapper.exe: Safe — 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 66 flagged

  • Flagged 0
  • No detection 66
  • No result 9
FileBootstrapper.exe7.2 MBSHA-256 f266bc16834f…cf7497
  • Code signing Microsoft Corporation
  • Test run Completed
  • First seen 2mo ago
None of the 66 antivirus engines that checked it flag it.

Chapter 02

Why we think so

0 points against it and 3 in its favour, checked against the scan evidence.

MT AI Engine · Verdict analysis

The reasoning behind this verdict

Analyst conclusion

No engines flagged the file. It is signed by Microsoft Corporation, a trusted publisher, and four of five similar hashes under the same signer were previously rated safe. Sandbox and file it created checks returned no malicious indicators.

Where this verdict could be wrong1 caveat
  • One similar hash (44422e6936dc…) was previously marked malicious under the same signer, but that file was a .dll and carried a CIRCL known-malicious flag absent here.

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
  • 16sandbox rule tags
  • 4spawned processes
  • 0network contacts
  • 12filesystem & mutex artifacts

Chapter 04

Technical details

None of the 66 antivirus engines that checked it flag it; signed by Microsoft Corporation.

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 enginesCompletePositive signal: 0 of 66 engines flagged it · 9 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 rulesComplete21 community YARA rules · 1 MalwareTips behaviour rule Details for signature rules
Malware sample databaseabuse.ch MalwareBazaarCompleteNot listed
Known-software referenceCIRCL hashlookupCompleteNo match

File fingerprint

Last analyzed
Aug 31, 2026, 1:03 PM UTC
SHA-256
f266bc16834fbfae5aa7aca7c27ed5f393cac0bb2acebc2d5bb2dd7813cf7497
SHA-1
c981cf52d88c9b07a621b8ceec04c03a6ff4e72e
MD5
18e5cf683fcf66c78f4bd3b49c0e7f9c

About this file

Bootstrapper.exe is a Win32 EXE file of 7.2 MB.

Type and size
Win32 EXE · 7.2 MB
Signer
Microsoft CorporationValid code signature.
First seen
Aug 11, 2026On VirusTotal.
Submitted by
146 distinct sources
Packer
None detected
Entropy
7.55 of 8

First scanned Updated

Chapter 05

Questions & answers

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

Is Bootstrapper.exe safe?
We found nothing harmful in Bootstrapper.exe. None of the 66 antivirus engines that checked it flag it. It has a valid digital signature from Microsoft Corporation. Run it only if it came from the developer's own website or an official app store.
What is Bootstrapper.exe?
Bootstrapper.exe is a Windows program, about 7.2 MB. It carries no version information saying what it is or who made it. VirusTotal first saw it on Aug 11, 2026.
How many antivirus engines detected Bootstrapper.exe?
None of the 66 antivirus engines that checked it flag Bootstrapper.exe. That is a good sign, but not proof, so we also weigh who made it, how widely it is used and what it did in a test run.
Is Bootstrapper.exe digitally signed?
Yes. Bootstrapper.exe has a valid digital signature from Microsoft Corporation, which shows the file hasn't been changed since that publisher signed it. Malware is sometimes signed with stolen certificates, so a signature alone isn't proof of safety.
What is the SHA-256 hash of Bootstrapper.exe?
The SHA-256 fingerprint of Bootstrapper.exe is f266bc16834fbfae5aa7aca7c27ed5f393cac0bb2acebc2d5bb2dd7813cf7497, and its MD5 is 18e5cf683fcf66c78f4bd3b49c0e7f9c. 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.
Is it safe to run Bootstrapper.exe?
We found nothing harmful in Bootstrapper.exe, and its digital signature checks out. The main caveat is where you got it: attackers sometimes spread malware under the name of real software, so get it from the official website. If your own antivirus warns about it, check the source before you ignore the warning.
How up to date is this analysis of Bootstrapper.exe?
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

Other files people checked with the same name or signer. 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.