Spot and Avoid Malicious EXE Files with This Guidebook

Is EXE file safe? Absolutely unsafe. You may encounter malicious EXE files; therefore, it is crucial to learn how to discover and avoid malicious EXE files. This article will provide some practical tips and data recovery methods.

Is there a malicious code in the EXE file?

As an executable file, the EXE file is crucial to starting the program. However, they are not 100% safe. Some EXE files may contain viruses and malware that damage your device, resulting in data loss and device failure. Therefore, it is crucial to learn how to find and avoid malicious EXE files. The following will guide you how to identify malicious EXE files, avoid problematic EXE files, and how to recover if the virus deletes the file. Please read the corresponding section according to your needs.

How to identify malicious EXE files?

You should check if the EXE file is safe before downloading or opening it. How to find malicious EXE files? You can check the following four aspects.

1. Check the specific information of the EXE file

Malicious or suspicious EXE files may contain incorrect file information, such as excessive file size, wrong file type, or mismatched file extensions. You can right-click on the EXE file and select

Properties

. In the Properties window, switch to the Details tab to verify file information.

2. Use antivirus software to scan files

Sometimes, when you try to open an EXE file, the antivirus software will issue a warning. At this point, be careful with this file, as it may contain viruses. To scan the EXE file, you can right-click it and select

Scan with Microsoft Defender

and let the antivirus perform a specific file scan.

3. Check the digital signature

Checking digital signatures is a way to prove the authenticity of EXE files. The digital signature should be the complete information of the EXE file. Through it, you can discover and avoid malicious EXE files. Here is the check method:

Step 1. Right-click the EXE file and select

Properties

. Step 2. Switch to

Digital Signature

Tab and click Details. Step 3. Click

to view the certificate

to check the specific information.

4. Check through Task Manager

If a running program causes abnormal CPU or GPU usage, you should be alert. Sometimes, malware or viruses can also cause abnormal computer performance. You can open Task Manager to find out the exact program.

You should then run an antivirus scan or perform other actions to detect device security. After confirming that the program is a malicious program, it should be completely deleted.

Tips to Avoid Getting Malicious EXE Files

There are some precautions you can take to avoid downloading malicious EXE files. Here are some common tips.

1. Enable Windows Defender

Windows includes some built-in utilities to defend against device security, such as Windows Defender and Windows Firewall. You can enable these tools to protect devices because they can detect suspicious files and isolate them before they have an impact.

To enable Windows Defender, you can open Windows settings and navigate to Update and Security > Windows Security. Click to open Windows Security.

2. Download from official or reliable sources

When you need to download EXE files, please visit official and trustworthy websites, which are secure. Additionally, if you accidentally download any malicious EXE files from the official website, you can ask for help from the official support team of the website.

3. Do not click on suspicious links

Be careful of any suspicious links and emails. You need to double-check and verify the information in these links to discover and avoid malicious EXE files. Some hackers tend to add malware or viruses under these links. Once clicked, the malware will be automatically downloaded.

In addition, some phishing emails may steal your information and secretly transmit viruses to your computer. Therefore, be alert when receiving suspicious links or emails.

Outline tip: Recover files deleted by viruses or malware

If unfortunately, you open a malicious EXE file, your device is likely to be infected with a virus or malware attack. All saved files are in great danger of being lost or stolen. Don't panic when you find that your files are deleted by viruses or malware; you should first recover the lost files and then delete the viruses and malware.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is an ideal choice because this secure data recovery software can handle data recovery tasks in various situations, including virus delete file recovery, formatted disk data recovery, partition loss data recovery, etc. You can get the free version, deep scan your disk for free and recover lost files (up to 1GB).

Conclusion

This is everything about how to discover and avoid malicious EXE files on your device. Viruses and malware can not only harm your device, but also threaten personal information. When your files are lost, remember to recover them immediately with the help of MiniTool Power Data Recovery. I hope this article can help you in time!

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