chrome.exe

Program Setup

Quality Criteria (Alpha Criteria Ltd.)

The application chrome.exe by Quality Criteria (Alpha Criteria) 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 installCore installer. The setup program uses the InstallCore engine which may bundle additional software offers including toolbars and browser extensions. With this installer, users are expecting to download Google's Chrome web browser but before that occurs they may be presented with additional offers, mostly potentially unwanted software or adware.
Publisher:
SecuredDownload  (signed by Quality Criteria (Alpha Criteria Ltd.))

Product:
Program Setup

Version:
1.0.5.a0.1_59214

MD5:
b0a6c9e66f1152264b4733f131885714

SHA-1:
3b50d2dfbb9130193b867d49171810ee6b97672a

SHA-256:
9eefe577d234a57f397ef809d068dd74961186841cd058fbfd934a769b47a8e6

Scanner detections:
1 / 68

Status:
Adware

Explanation:
Uses the InstallCore download manager to install additional potentially unwanted software which may include extensions such as DealPly and various toolbars.

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:
4/15/2025 11:41:21 AM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Reason Heuristics
PUP.InstallCore.AC.Installer (M)
16.6.23.13

File size:
915.9 KB (937,880 bytes)

Product version:
1.0.5.a0.1_59214

Copyright:
SecuredDownload

File type:
Executable application (Win32 EXE)

Bundler/Installer:
installCore (using Inno Setup)

Language:
Language Neutral

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

Digital Signature
Authority:
GlobalSign nv-sa

Valid from:
1/6/2016 7:11:47 PM

Valid to:
8/4/2016 8:53:54 PM

Subject:
CN=Quality Criteria (Alpha Criteria Ltd.), O=Quality Criteria (Alpha Criteria Ltd.), L=Tel Aviv, C=IL

Issuer:
CN=GlobalSign CodeSigning CA - SHA256 - G2, O=GlobalSign nv-sa, C=BE

Serial number:
1121DC9E5F7E1CC5DF0CA4ED082CF7EB9D86

File PE Metadata
Compilation timestamp:
6/20/1992 3:52:17 AM

OS version:
1.0

OS bitness:
Win32

Subsystem:
Windows GUI

Linker version:
2.25

CTPH (ssdeep):
24576:CvKv1P8DGFiu57x5SEFzeFigd58SwkYIbtu3:CMeIfqCw46s

Entry address:
0x9C40

Entry point:
55, 8B, EC, 83, C4, C4, 53, 56, 57, 33, C0, 89, 45, F0, 89, 45, DC, E8, 86, 94, FF, FF, E8, 8D, A6, FF, FF, E8, 1C, A9, FF, FF, E8, 53, C9, FF, FF, E8, 9A, C9, FF, FF, E8, C9, F2, FF, FF, E8, 30, F4, FF, FF, 33, C0, 55, 68, FC, A2, 40, 00, 64, FF, 30, 64, 89, 20, 33, D2, 55, 68, C5, A2, 40, 00, 64, FF, 32, 64, 89, 22, A1, 14, C0, 40, 00, E8, 96, FE, FF, FF, E8, C9, FA, FF, FF, 8D, 55, F0, 33, C0, E8, 83, CF, FF, FF, 8B, 55, F0, B8, 24, CE, 40, 00, E8, 32, 95, FF, FF, 6A, 02, 6A, 00, 6A, 01, 8B, 0D, 24, CE...
 
[+]

Entropy:
7.9324

Packer / compiler:
Inno Setup v5.x - Installer Maker

Code size:
37 KB (37,888 bytes)

The file chrome.exe has been seen being distributed by the following URL.

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