| Path | Likelihood | Notes | |------|------------|-------| | C:\Windows\System32\ | Very low (highly suspicious) | System32 is reserved for critical OS files | | C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ | Very low | Same as above | | C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Temp\ | High | Often dropped by downloaders or script-based malware | | C:\ProgramData\ | Medium | Used by malware that wants per‑machine persistence | | C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\ | Medium | Simple persistence mechanism |
There are two primary reasons malware authors choose names like this: net5system.exe
Upload the file to (if safe to do so) – detection rates for this name are typically high (30–50+ engines flag it). | Path | Likelihood | Notes | |------|------------|-------|
Do not rely on Windows Defender alone (though it is improved). Use a multi-scanner approach: take these steps to prevent recurrence:
Once clean, take these steps to prevent recurrence: