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howtosimplified.164414880137417390529e55f6267f41.exe

HowToSimplified

Mindspark Interactive Network

This is the installer stub for the Mindspark (Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc./Ask) browser toolbar which provides the offer to the end user to install the toolbar and set the browser's search, home page and new tab to an Ask.com search destination. The application howtosimplified.164414880137417390529e55f6267f41.exe, “HowToSimplified Setup” by Mindspark Interactive Network has been detected as a potentially unwanted program 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 NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) installer.
Publisher:
Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc.  (signed by Mindspark Interactive Network)

Product:
HowToSimplified

Description:
HowToSimplified Setup

Version:
2.0.1.11

MD5:
06839ca2b05a6b8fb41b044d4f32de2c

SHA-1:
0f9180111d2cd0ca6f99ff8588e24c455b9a57a2

SHA-256:
871728ae0b69ed95e4891adca46ceef36167f097c44bdd4a6939f77f265f0038

Scanner detections:
1 / 68

Status:
Potentially unwanted

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.

Analysis date:
4/20/2024 2:33:33 AM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Reason Heuristics
PUP.Mindspark (M)
16.8.7.2

File size:
357.6 KB (366,160 bytes)

Product version:
2.0.1.11

Copyright:
© 2015 Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc. An IAC Company. All rights reserved.

Trademarks:
® & ™ Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc. An IAC Company. All rights reserved.

File type:
Executable application (Win32 EXE)

Installer:
NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System)

Language:
English (United States)

Common path:
C:\users\{user}\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\inetcache\ie\{random}\howtosimplified.164414880137417390529e55f6267f41.exe

Digital Signature
Signed by:
Mindspark Interactive Network

Authority:
VeriSign, Inc.

Valid from:
4/19/2015 7:00:00 PM

Valid to:
6/18/2018 6:59:59 PM

Subject:
CN=Mindspark Interactive Network, O=Mindspark Interactive Network, L=Yonkers, S=New York, C=US

Issuer:
CN=VeriSign Class 3 Code Signing 2010 CA, OU=Terms of use at https://www.verisign.com/rpa (c)10, OU=VeriSign Trust Network, O="VeriSign, Inc.", C=US

Serial number:
438D4291E43C2DFFEEAAAEE5B6C070B5

File PE Metadata
Compilation timestamp:
12/24/2013 11:01:44 PM

OS version:
4.0

OS bitness:
Win32

Subsystem:
Windows GUI

Linker version:
6.0

CTPH (ssdeep):
6144:1bUTp1+W6TkM+hMD0KAGu+nGfMs/jijb8jEYwUfewdNtYAjjz1dc5ISuZ2SFQ:1IOW+R0KhG//lXBGwdcAjn1dSRTd

Entry address:
0x3229

Entry point:
81, EC, D4, 02, 00, 00, 53, 55, 56, 57, 6A, 20, 33, ED, 5E, 89, 6C, 24, 14, C7, 44, 24, 10, D8, A2, 40, 00, 89, 6C, 24, 1C, FF, 15, 34, 80, 40, 00, 68, 01, 80, 00, 00, FF, 15, 34, 81, 40, 00, 55, FF, 15, AC, 82, 40, 00, 6A, 08, A3, 58, 4F, 43, 00, E8, 9F, 2E, 00, 00, A3, A4, 4E, 43, 00, 55, 8D, 44, 24, 34, 68, B4, 02, 00, 00, 50, 55, 68, B8, B1, 42, 00, FF, 15, 7C, 81, 40, 00, 68, C0, A2, 40, 00, 68, A0, 3E, 43, 00, E8, 0A, 2B, 00, 00, FF, 15, 38, 81, 40, 00, BB, 00, F0, 43, 00, 50, 53, E8, F8, 2A, 00, 00...
 
[+]

Entropy:
7.9198

Packer / compiler:
Nullsoft install system v2.x

Code size:
24.5 KB (25,088 bytes)

The file howtosimplified.164414880137417390529e55f6267f41.exe has been seen being distributed by the following 4 URLs.

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/nocache/vicinio/installers/v2/211736991.S17398.1/nsis/663877-S17398.1/160714152041933/.../HowToSimplified.683f36dc0b2347cf84f60fe535015439.exe

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/nocache/vicinio/installers/v2/211736991.S17398.1/nsis/663877-S17398.1/160714152041933/.../HowToSimplified.1464b16e520145519435a0339491d336.exe

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/nocache/vicinio/installers/v2/211736991.S17398.1/nsis/663877-S17398.1/160714152041933/.../HowToSimplified.b0b7f969471e454186918761dbaa91db.exe

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/nocache/vicinio/installers/v2/211736991.S17398.1/nsis/663877-S17398.1/160714152041933/.../HowToSimplified.164414880137417390529e55f6267f41.exe

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