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hotspot_shield_ar.exe

Symbolicom Holdings Ltd

The installer utilizes the installCore download manager which may bundle additional offers for various ad-supported toolbars, extensions and utilities. The application hotspot_shield_ar.exe by Symbolicom Holdings has been detected as adware by 8 anti-malware scanners. The program is a setup application that uses the installCore installer. The setup program uses the InstallCore engine which may bundle additional software offers including toolbars and browser extensions.
Publisher:
Symbolicom Holdings Ltd  (signed and verified)

MD5:
e9dd09990e435c5d36f42417003ea156

SHA-1:
2fb37f366d1e6c01894fb293dbe52e853c7e5aa7

SHA-256:
a5c323165336a193e4e45992554a463d238069f07f034a946e461561182d9373

Scanner detections:
8 / 68

Status:
Adware

Explanation:
Uses the InstallCore download manager to install additional potentially unwanted software which may include extensions such as DealPly and various toolbars.

Description:
This 'download manager' is also considered bundleware, a utility designed to download software (possibly legitimate or opensource) and bundle it with a number of optional offers including ad-supported utilities, toolbars, shopping comparison tools and browser extensions.

Analysis date:
4/25/2024 10:09:39 AM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Avira AntiVirus
ADWARE/InstallCore.Gen7
7.11.133.190

Dr.Web
Trojan.MulDrop5.10078
9.0.1.0121

ESET NOD32
Win32/InstallCore.JE.gen (variant)
8.9476

Malwarebytes
PUP.Optional.Installcore
v2014.05.01.04

Reason Heuristics
PUP.SymbolicomHoldings.R
14.5.1.16

Rising Antivirus
PE:Malware.XPACK-LNR/Heur!1.5594
23.00.65.14429

Vba32 AntiVirus
Downware.InstallCore
3.12.24.3

VIPRE Antivirus
InstallCore.b
26872

File size:
697.9 KB (714,624 bytes)

File type:
Executable application (Win32 EXE)

Bundler/Installer:
installCore (using Inno Setup)

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

Digital Signature
Signed by:
Symbolicom Holdings Ltd

Authority:
COMODO CA Limited

Valid from:
1/8/2014 3:00:00 AM

Valid to:
1/9/2015 2:59:59 AM

Subject:
CN=Symbolicom Holdings Ltd, OU=Symbolicom, O=Symbolicom Holdings Ltd, STREET=Trident Cyprus, STREET=115 Griva Digeni Avenue Trident Centre, STREET=Limassol, L=Limassol, S=Cyprus, PostalCode=3101, C=CY

Issuer:
CN=COMODO Code Signing CA 2, O=COMODO CA Limited, L=Salford, S=Greater Manchester, C=GB

Serial number:
00C4B90F930A0BA04B111E671526916207

File PE Metadata
Compilation timestamp:
6/20/1992 1:22:17 AM

OS version:
1.0

OS bitness:
Win32

Subsystem:
Windows GUI

Linker version:
2.25

CTPH (ssdeep):
12288:Kvpghu68Okv8a8I2E7DFouu9TSfPoGYdF0nqk203TkyEe2bOFbWRMUJDMy1TXzHC:KvmhuBYjgDjaYGfQH203d/+f2UDTXz

Entry address:
0x9C40

Entry point:
55, 8B, EC, 83, C4, C4, 53, 56, 57, 33, C0, 89, 45, F0, 89, 45, DC, E8, 86, 94, FF, FF, E8, 8D, A6, FF, FF, E8, 1C, A9, FF, FF, E8, 53, C9, FF, FF, E8, 9A, C9, FF, FF, E8, C9, F2, FF, FF, E8, 30, F4, FF, FF, 33, C0, 55, 68, FC, A2, 40, 00, 64, FF, 30, 64, 89, 20, 33, D2, 55, 68, C5, A2, 40, 00, 64, FF, 32, 64, 89, 22, A1, 14, C0, 40, 00, E8, 96, FE, FF, FF, E8, C9, FA, FF, FF, 8D, 55, F0, 33, C0, E8, 83, CF, FF, FF, 8B, 55, F0, B8, 24, CE, 40, 00, E8, 32, 95, FF, FF, 6A, 02, 6A, 00, 6A, 01, 8B, 0D, 24, CE...
 
[+]

Entropy:
7.8324

Packer / compiler:
Inno Setup v5.x - Installer Maker

Code size:
37 KB (37,888 bytes)

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