ares.exe.exe

Offercast - APN Install Manager

Ask.com

This installer is part of the Ask.com (APN) network which will install the Ask.com branded toolbar or browser extension which will take control of the web browser's search functions. The application ares.exe.exe by Ask.com 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 Offercast APN Install Manager installer.
Publisher:
Ask.com  (signed and verified)

Product:
Offercast - APN Install Manager

Version:
3.9.1.17815

MD5:
914e2e6c1a3c61281f7ad259dd604603

SHA-1:
73134370b194a89f8378b4b7d25650bab4ccc62f

SHA-256:
deeff4f3398f20ae04810571d6d23e7b9fe3520918b19c6d0dca57d1b75c2c65

Scanner detections:
1 / 68

Status:
Potentially unwanted

Explanation:
This is the APN Offercast install manager which will offer the user to opt-out of installing the Ask.com Toolbar as part of the setup routine.

Analysis date:
11/4/2024 5:01:23 PM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Reason Heuristics
PUP.Ask (M)
17.3.15.9

File size:
985.9 KB (1,009,576 bytes)

Product version:
3.9.1.17815

Copyright:
2010: (c) Ask.com. All rights reserved.

Original file name:
APNInstaller.exe

File type:
Executable application (Win32 EXE)

Installer:
Offercast APN Install Manager

Language:
English (United States)

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

Digital Signature
Signed by:

Authority:
VeriSign, Inc.

Valid from:
6/1/2014 7:00:00 PM

Valid to:
7/31/2016 6:59:59 PM

Subject:
CN=Ask.com, O=Ask.com, L=Oakland, S=California, 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:
071C9C2CC792BCB19C804C3655D4DE1F

File PE Metadata
Compilation timestamp:
10/9/2015 12:17:21 PM

OS version:
5.1

OS bitness:
Win32

Subsystem:
Windows GUI

Linker version:
12.0

Entry address:
0xA11E

Entry point:
E8, 43, 51, 00, 00, E9, 7F, FE, FF, FF, E8, D0, 10, 00, 00, 85, C0, 75, 06, B8, 74, 01, 42, 00, C3, 83, C0, 0C, C3, 55, 8B, EC, 56, E8, E4, FF, FF, FF, 8B, 4D, 08, 51, 89, 08, E8, 20, 00, 00, 00, 59, 8B, F0, E8, 05, 00, 00, 00, 89, 30, 5E, 5D, C3, E8, 9C, 10, 00, 00, 85, C0, 75, 06, B8, 70, 01, 42, 00, C3, 83, C0, 08, C3, 55, 8B, EC, 8B, 4D, 08, 33, C0, 3B, 0C, C5, 08, 00, 42, 00, 74, 27, 40, 83, F8, 2D, 72, F1, 8D, 41, ED, 83, F8, 11, 77, 05, 6A, 0D, 58, 5D, C3, 8D, 81, 44, FF, FF, FF, 6A, 0E, 59, 3B, C8...
 
[+]

Entropy:
7.8988  (probably packed)

Code size:
92 KB (94,208 bytes)

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