File verdict·Decided by the MT AI Engine
Our call

Suspicious

Unsigned new executable with heuristic AV detections and direct IP connection (Cloudflare) triggers suspicion despite no tier-1 flags or offensive behavior.

Trust score50Caution
citron.exe
61.9 MB
fcb3b8e9782eef8a99f105c38717
Antivirus engines
2 of 75 flagged
Code signing
Unsigned
Age
First seen 2mo 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 file lacks code signing and has zero reputation as a brand-new submission, amplifying risks from its rare prevalence. Heuristic detections are present but confined to tier2/low-trust engines without tier1 backing or family consensus, suggesting possible overreach. The direct IP contact to a Cloudflare address fires a medium-severity C2 evasion rule, yet no further malicious runtime (e.g., sandbox verdicts, offensive MITRE) supports escalation. Overall, signals mix weakly toward threat without decisive proof.

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. Gridinsoft (tier2): Trojan.Heur!.0205202F

  2. triggeredHeuristics[0]: MalwareTips.Synth.DirectIpC2 fired on 162.159.36.2

  3. engines.tier1Malicious=0 / tier1ReportedClean=17

  4. prevalence.classification: rare_new

  5. signing.signed=false

Points in its favour
  • No tier-1 malicious detections (17 clean)
  • No offensive MITRE techniques
  • No malicious sandbox verdict
  • No contacted malicious hosts
Points against
  • Direct IP C2 heuristic (MalwareTips.Synth.DirectIpC2)
  • Unsigned executable
  • Zero-day age (firstSubmissionDate 2026-05-15)
  • Rare new prevalence (2 submissions)
  • Heuristic Trojan detection (Gridinsoft)
  • Overlay and checks-user-input tags
Recommended action

Quarantine the file immediately and avoid execution. Monitor for related activity and resubmit after more scans for confirmation.

What this file does

What it attempted when executed in an isolated sandbox

  • High concern: Records what you type — keylogger behaviour.

  • Moderate concern: Connects out to 1 server on the internet.

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.

Runtime behaviour

What this file did when executed

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

MITRE ATT&CK
1

Adversary techniques mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

T1056· Keylogging
Spawned processes
1
$(unnamed)
"C:\Users\user\Desktop\executable.exe"
Network activity
1
IP addresses1
  • 162.159.36.2
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

2 detections across 75 engines

2 malicious0 suspicious73 clean
Tier-117 engines
0flag
Top commercial AVs (low FP rate)
Tier-241 engines
1flag
Mainstream engines with mixed FP rates
Low-trust17 engines
1flag
Heuristic / generic-AI engines (high FP rate)
Gridinsoft
malicious
Trojan.Heur!.0205202F
Trapmine
malicious
suspicious.low.ml.score
Hash fcb3b8e9782e… cross-referenced against 75 AV engines via our AV network.
PE forensics

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.

ent 5.74Unpacked
Section entropy10 sections
.text
6.51
.rdata
6.13
.buildid
0.67
.data
5.25
.pdata
6.94
.qtversi
0.16
.rodata
7.94
.tls
0.00
.rsrc
7.84
.reloc
5.51
0.0Packed threshold 7.28.0
Prevalence

How widely this file has been seen

Barely seen in the wild and first surfaced recently. This is the footprint of targeted malware the AV industry hasn't signatured yet — extra scrutiny is warranted.

Rare & new
Unique uploaders
2
Very few people have ever uploaded this — rare.
Total submissions
2
Includes repeat uploads by the same source.
First seen
2mo ago
May 15, 2026
Prevalence quadrant
here
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)
5/15/2026, 11:28:07 AM
First seen (MalwareBazaar)
Last analysis (VT)
5/15/2026, 11:28:07 AM
Scanned here
5/15/2026, 3:28:44 PM
File name
citron.exe
Size
61.85 MB
MIME type
(unknown)
Detected type
Win32 EXE
SHA-256
fcb3b8e9782eef8a992e989becfdebf879de7c0c1996e8e2c2d9b1f105c38717
MD5
f32908fe21e824071c126f03bc079bc9
SHA-1
0799f37a02589d070e752ec9444748a660a9bcd1
PE imphash
88523bdfa23813abc1972f29e1d967d7
First seen (VT)
5/15/2026, 11:28:07 AM
Last analysis (VT)
5/15/2026, 11:28:07 AM
First scan (MalwareTips)
5/15/2026, 3:28:44 PM
Last scan (MalwareTips)
5/15/2026, 3:28:44 PM
Behavior tags
overlaypeexe64bitschecks-user-input
Frequently asked

Safety FAQ

Common questions about citron.exe, answered from the scan data above.

  • citron.exe is suspicious — treat it as unsafe until you're sure. 2 of 75 antivirus engines flag it, which isn't a strong consensus but is enough to be cautious. Don't run it unless you fully trust where it came from, and prefer downloading the software fresh from its official site.
  • citron.exe is a Windows executable program, about 61.9 MB. 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.
  • 2 of 75 antivirus engines flagged citron.exe, 2 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 citron.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 citron.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.
  • The SHA-256 hash of citron.exe is fcb3b8e9782eef8a992e989becfdebf879de7c0c1996e8e2c2d9b1f105c38717, and its MD5 is f32908fe21e824071c126f03bc079bc9. 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 May 15, 2026. Because a file's hash never changes, the identity of citron.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.
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.