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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:
ea1ba2232bfba5e09c30c2ea75996e78

SHA-1:
43e0048f11bbdb9933e6dd17df345290c4e4b70a

SHA-256:
e90e0b0c9bdca1777a06e7c4228c7521c13cdfa1d02756176577726589c2a358

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:
7/15/2025 6:31:50 PM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Reason Heuristics
PUP.Air Software.Download.Bundler (M)
16.5.4.2

File size:
1.1 MB (1,134,976 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}\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\inetcache\ie\{random}\avast_setup.exe

Digital Signature
Signed by:
Download Assistant

Authority:
Symantec Corporation

Valid from:
4/6/2016 1:00:00 AM

Valid to:
7/7/2017 12:59:59 AM

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:
3F4D313EECE411E33755867DDBC09D69

File PE Metadata
Compilation timestamp:
1/30/2013 2:21:56 PM

OS version:
5.0

OS bitness:
Win32

Subsystem:
Windows GUI

Linker version:
2.25

CTPH (ssdeep):
24576:pxGnmShsHgl+8Jfl/MX7wjKvSn5+wJ9HymR0c4JvqGgOT6QTmPpMA/JpEJak+:imShCXOt/c7wKvUN9EdMdEJak+

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:
6.9580

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/fosyeuol/?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,uk,avast free download

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