home

avast_setup.exe

Avast Antivirus Free

Download Assistant

This is part of the Air Installer, a download manager which bundles applications with offers for additional 3rd party software, mostly unwanted adware, and may be installed with minimal consent. The application avast_setup.exe by Download Assistant has been detected as adware by 1 anti-malware scanner with very strong indications that the file is a potential threat. The program is a setup application that uses the AirInstaller Download Manager installer. With this installer, users are expecting to download the free AVAST Antivirus but before that occurs they may be presented with additional offers, mostly potentially unwanted software or adware.
Publisher:
Download Assistant  (signed and verified)

Product:
Avast Antivirus Free

Version:
3.0.0.154

MD5:
5c0b3eb99c8ea181dc6ebde1946732fb

SHA-1:
da3861b9f3ece322347e076c72d900c4e98cf789

SHA-256:
f8aa79d1c6f883a4d18223aed72cd2a3bf953f709afa9478a5fd8c50bb5542d4

Scanner detections:
1 / 68

Status:
Adware

Note:
Our current pool of anti-malware engines have not currently detected this file, however based on our own detection heuristics we feel that this file is unwanted.

Description:
This is also known as bundleware, or downloadware, which is an downloader designed to simply deliver ad-supported offers in the setup routine of an otherwise legitimate software.

Analysis date:
5/11/2025 9:03:14 AM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Reason Heuristics
PUP.Air Software.Download.Bundler (M)
16.5.3.16

File size:
1.1 MB (1,138,280 bytes)

Product version:
3.0.0.154

Copyright:
(c) Download Assistant

File type:
Executable application (Win32 EXE)

Bundler/Installer:
AirInstaller Download Manager

Language:
Language Neutral

Common path:
C:\users\{user}\downloads\avast_setup.exe

Digital Signature
Signed by:
Download Assistant

Authority:
Symantec Corporation

Valid from:
3/22/2016 7:00:00 PM

Valid to:
6/22/2017 6:59:59 PM

Subject:
CN=Download Assistant, O=Download Assistant, L=Victoria, S=British Columbia, C=CA

Issuer:
CN=Symantec Class 3 SHA256 Code Signing CA, OU=Symantec Trust Network, O=Symantec Corporation, C=US

Serial number:
148B902A7D1B3F28E1F8304459D901C7

File PE Metadata
Compilation timestamp:
1/30/2013 8:21:56 AM

OS version:
5.0

OS bitness:
Win32

Subsystem:
Windows GUI

Linker version:
2.25

CTPH (ssdeep):
24576:BxGnNopqNyFNBAxuWFdC6w7kVTDmg27srD3qOWJzQeFEJak4:6NoCMPoFdlw7yTDNrq/zQiEJak4

Entry address:
0x113BC

Entry point:
55, 8B, EC, 83, C4, A4, 53, 56, 57, 33, C0, 89, 45, C4, 89, 45, C0, 89, 45, A4, 89, 45, D0, 89, 45, C8, 89, 45, CC, 89, 45, D4, 89, 45, D8, 89, 45, EC, B8, 2C, 00, 41, 00, E8, E8, 51, FF, FF, 33, C0, 55, 68, 9E, 1A, 41, 00, 64, FF, 30, 64, 89, 20, 33, D2, 55, 68, 5A, 1A, 41, 00, 64, FF, 32, 64, 89, 22, A1, 48, 5B, 41, 00, E8, 16, D8, FF, FF, E8, 65, D3, FF, FF, 80, 3D, DC, 2A, 41, 00, 00, 74, 0C, E8, 2B, D9, FF, FF, 33, C0, E8, 80, 32, FF, FF, 8D, 55, EC, 33, C0, E8, E2, A3, FF, FF, 8B, 55, EC, B8, 50, 86...
 
[+]

Entropy:
6.9628

Developed / compiled with:
Microsoft Visual C++

Code size:
65.5 KB (67,072 bytes)

The file avast_setup.exe has been seen being distributed by the following URL.

http://securedownload.browserstation.com/v2/click/9fa21c67/?d=http://antivirus-free.net/.../Avast2016.exe&n=Avast Antivirus Free&key=630cd95ab0df9aa3d5cca7c58c3597a3ef5c0a702ba87f6f6ee7a4fabb1f01dd&affiliate_image=http://antivirus-free.net/.../Avast_logo_noWordsSm.png&product_image=http://antivirus-free.net/.../Avast_logo.png&filename=Avast_Setup&sid=avast,avast antivirus free download 2016,FFIE

Remove avast_setup.exe - Powered by Reason Core Security
herdProtect is a second line of defense malware removal platform powered by 68 anti-malware engines in the cloud. Since no single anti-malware program is perfect 100% of the time, herdProtect utilizes a 'herd' of multiple engines to guarantee the widest coverage and the earliest possible detection.