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chrome_install.exe

Google Chrome

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 chrome_install.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 Google's Chrome web browser but before that occurs they may be presented with additional offers, mostly potentially unwanted software or adware.
Publisher:
Download Assistant  (signed and verified)

Product:
Google Chrome

Version:
3.0.0.134

MD5:
5946353218e31f658ec4572e5d762e25

SHA-1:
5833f9f2f1af09a3b0d0b1cce222f058ef187f24

SHA-256:
971655b713cc9fd5f74844eeeed763416ad0d1163138137e0337093b8764ca43

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:
1/13/2025 5:56:23 PM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Reason Heuristics
PUP.Air Software (M)
16.7.25.5

File size:
1.1 MB (1,133,424 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}\chrome_install.exe

Digital Signature
Signed by:
Download Assistant

Authority:
Symantec Corporation

Valid from:
12/2/2015 7:00:00 AM

Valid to:
3/3/2017 6:59:59 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:
04A6D3440F1D06EE9CA4CE2B30C76606

File PE Metadata
Compilation timestamp:
1/30/2013 9:21:56 PM

OS version:
5.0

OS bitness:
Win32

Subsystem:
Windows GUI

Linker version:
2.25

CTPH (ssdeep):
24576:exG3EUson+gNgAhTo7XCjXcn8SKMDQpFegzBivJtE4QsY:jrBfgAFEWfTbKgzAv7E3

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:
6.9601

Developed / compiled with:
Microsoft Visual C++

Code size:
65.5 KB (67,072 bytes)

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

http://files.free-browser.net/v2/click/3f1001e5/?d=http://au.free-browser.co/downloads/chrome/chrome_setup_en.exe&key=9023d1592789087355cbc4c8ec0bda876c5cd71a698097552165c68a22a26505&sid=CHROME_2015&uid=2ANALYTICS569792da36317&affiliate_image=&product_image=http://au.free-browser.co/graphics/chrome/chrome_product_image.png&n=Google Chrome&filename=chrome_install&done_url=http://free-browser.co/.../&cancel_url=http://free-browser.co/.../?error=1

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