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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:
3.0.0.134

MD5:
12af7fcd4702adcc3ae06e3ea4f15179

SHA-1:
7ef8731972dae4438a6adbd3a3c4e676f0fb8cc7

SHA-256:
8f3efca875ce56f1b4a6f816dd5c5059bd67b221ece0ce09c7ab85e7cfaea723

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 11:42:00 AM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Reason Heuristics
PUP.Air Software.DownloadAssistant.Bundler (M)
16.1.12.15

File size:
1.1 MB (1,131,392 bytes)

Product version:
3.0.0.134

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:
12/1/2015 6:00:00 PM

Valid to:
3/2/2017 5:59:59 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:
04A6D3440F1D06EE9CA4CE2B30C76606

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:YxGXJcuj9VHirdfQe/8QS8atVYvbzcAY9N5ZoCfwD/3qNGUQl:dWuj9VOY1QSvs0LNwWGjl

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:
6.9610

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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