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adobe-reader.exe

Adobe Reader

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 adobe-reader.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 Adobe's free Reader but before that occurs they may be presented with additional offers, mostly potentially unwanted software or adware.
Publisher:
Download Assistant  (signed and verified)

Product:
Adobe Reader

Version:
3.0.0.125

MD5:
3b339337f5167881f4349f49be4ecade

SHA-1:
482ba05129ac92315414def76890d6d2f9926a45

SHA-256:
68f9806c51f1bb36f481b4c9e2e9d7f8c7b5c95b57114e3d7a98820e816d18ba

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:
12/26/2024 12:13:17 PM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Reason Heuristics
PUP.Air Software.DownloadAssistant.Bundler (M)
16.2.1.11

File size:
1.1 MB (1,127,184 bytes)

Product version:
3.0.0.125

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}\adobe-reader.exe

Digital Signature
Signed by:
Download Assistant

Authority:
Symantec Corporation

Valid from:
7/2/2015 5:00:00 PM

Valid to:
7/2/2016 4:59:59 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:
58D15D11CD769D740FA555864465D65B

File PE Metadata
Compilation timestamp:
1/30/2013 6:21:56 AM

OS version:
5.0

OS bitness:
Win32

Subsystem:
Windows GUI

Linker version:
2.25

CTPH (ssdeep):
24576:oxGn9KdBIUvZ3mjNqe+r7MEPdz0zBEVWPPmbTug2BPiS:NQdBIaZ3mIr7MEPNiBrKug2BPz

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:
6.9504

Developed / compiled with:
Microsoft Visual C++

Code size:
65.5 KB (67,072 bytes)

The file adobe-reader.exe has been seen being distributed by the following URL.

http://download.acrobat-reader.net/v2/click/fimjsqkl/?d=http://acrobat-reader.net/.../adobe_reader.exe&key=fd2271947d4cf555f7e02f1b27416fb1917bde27dfa69741ee017f468411dcdb&sid=readernet&uid=&affiliate_image=&product_image=&n=Adobe Reader&filename=adobe-reader

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