free-cell.exe

Puzzle Zone Games LLC

The installer utilizes the installCore download manager which may bundle additional offers for various ad-supported toolbars, extensions and utilities. The application free-cell.exe by Puzzle Zone Games 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 file has been seen being downloaded from installerlaunch-pz1.com.
Publisher:
Puzzle Zone Games LLC  (signed and verified)

MD5:
31dc9483a930510b2916060a4096a4a4

SHA-1:
f9f1c687bc24b74b4508cf66fe2f512ca3764f12

SHA-256:
67b9cd65c389b24ac34d7804aec054499e199935ba058621c5ee759652b698f4

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:
11/27/2024 8:19:17 PM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Reason Heuristics
PUP.installCore.PuzzleZo (M)
16.5.20.2

File size:
762.1 KB (780,368 bytes)

File type:
Executable application (Win32 EXE)

Bundler/Installer:
installCore (using Inno Setup)

Common path:
C:\users\{user}\downloads\free-cell.exe

Digital Signature
Authority:
VeriSign, Inc.

Valid from:
3/31/2013 9:00:00 PM

Valid to:
5/1/2015 8:59:59 PM

Subject:
CN=Puzzle Zone Games LLC, OU=Digital ID Class 3 - Microsoft Software Validation v2, O=Puzzle Zone Games LLC, L=Jersey City, S=New Jersey, 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:
148574E327EC8ED99B4372B65FF2B06D

File PE Metadata
Compilation timestamp:
6/19/1992 7:22:17 PM

OS version:
1.0

OS bitness:
Win32

Subsystem:
Windows GUI

Linker version:
2.25

CTPH (ssdeep):
12288:3yMJfsGQGjqAahRUYlAOcwNnQbReTZDK/92LEZrTz2AS2jArJ/jE+oy5JWlxSIFh:3yMJfsCGvhRUKtNnQCZDfUgJ8ltaZThy

Entry address:
0x98CC

Entry point:
55, 8B, EC, 83, C4, CC, 53, 56, 57, 33, C0, 89, 45, F0, 89, 45, DC, E8, FA, 97, FF, FF, E8, 01, AA, FF, FF, E8, 2C, CC, FF, FF, E8, 73, CC, FF, FF, E8, 0A, F3, FF, FF, E8, 71, F4, FF, FF, 33, C0, 55, 68, 76, 9F, 40, 00, 64, FF, 30, 64, 89, 20, 33, D2, 55, 68, 2C, 9F, 40, 00, 64, FF, 32, 64, 89, 22, A1, 14, B0, 40, 00, E8, 9B, FE, FF, FF, E8, 26, FA, FF, FF, 8D, 55, F0, 33, C0, E8, E0, D0, FF, FF, 8B, 55, F0, B8, D8, BD, 40, 00, E8, AB, 98, FF, FF, 6A, 02, 6A, 00, 6A, 01, 8B, 0D, D8, BD, 40, 00, B2, 01, B8...
 
[+]

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

Code size:
36 KB (36,864 bytes)

The file free-cell.exe has been seen being distributed by the following URL.

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