setup.exe

PLUGIN UPDATE SL

This is the Softpulse installer which bundles applications with offers for additional 3rd party software, mostly unwanted adware, and may be installed with minimal consent. The application setup.exe by PLUGIN UPDATE SL 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 Softpulse SoftwareBundler installer. The file has been seen being downloaded from initiatedownload.com.
Publisher:
PLUGIN UPDATE SL  (signed and verified)

MD5:
79fde4987026ca7225c3292fa9a83656

SHA-1:
f4545ea11b8bf22b2fc467b1042eef1c8c798b9a

SHA-256:
8f3f2cffabd2c1dbc51f2fd62867d6547349ad1e6c46547836f09d301ea0bd0f

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:
4/18/2025 2:41:22 AM UTC  (today)

Scan engine
Detection
Engine version

Reason Heuristics
PUP.Softpulse.PLUGINUP.Bundler (M)
16.3.19.12

File size:
573 KB (586,776 bytes)

File type:
Executable application (Win32 EXE)

Bundler/Installer:
Softpulse SoftwareBundler

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

Digital Signature
Authority:
Symantec Corporation

Valid from:
4/12/2015 5:00:00 PM

Valid to:
7/12/2016 4:59:59 PM

Subject:
CN=PLUGIN UPDATE SL, O=PLUGIN UPDATE SL, L=Guia de Isora, S=Santa Cruz de Tenerife, C=ES

Issuer:
CN=Symantec Class 3 SHA256 Code Signing CA, OU=Symantec Trust Network, O=Symantec Corporation, C=US

Serial number:
6A96B10625A440E58FC64DBD383A43DA

File PE Metadata
Compilation timestamp:
8/5/2015 5:22:49 AM

OS version:
5.0

OS bitness:
Win32

Subsystem:
Windows GUI

Linker version:
9.0

CTPH (ssdeep):
12288:vwQvSTuCWAhHqYQPYUNj8GFI49aHzPd8EB4G8JddvBvGRx2T051TFP:L8HHqYQPYW9FyTPdx2Ge/vQRx2TQbP

Entry address:
0x1000

Entry point:
B8, D4, 8F, 5E, 00, 50, 64, FF, 35, 00, 00, 00, 00, 64, 89, 25, 00, 00, 00, 00, 33, C0, 89, 08, 50, 45, 43, 6F, 6D, 70, 61, 63, 74, 32, 00, 50, 2F, 50, DC, 53, 2D, 32, 82, DB, 91, DA, D5, FE, 63, 52, 25, 22, 19, 8E, CD, CA, 09, 54, EC, 40, 54, E8, 6C, 9D, 0C, B4, 50, D8, C1, 40, 22, 08, BF, 39, 8A, 3E, 07, 7A, 92, A7, 86, 6C, A4, D9, FA, EF, 99, F5, FC, 0D, A9, 3C, DC, 7D, 5B, 1D, ED, 5E, F6, 50, F2, 48, FE, FE, 16, DA, E2, 02, 04, 11, 00, 52, 42, 0D, DB, C1, 72, EB, 27, 44, 10, 71, EE, DB, B7, 72, CF, 78...
 
[+]

Entropy:
7.9400

Packer / compiler:
PECompact v2

Code size:
1.3 MB (1,374,208 bytes)

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

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