Iexplore.exe Windows Security

[Mariela Laflam]

Howto fix iexplore.exe related problems?

1. Run Security Task Manager to check your iexplore process

2. Run Windows Repair Tool to repair iexplore.exe related Windows Errors

3. Run MalwareBytes to remove persistent malware

"iexplore.exe" is the main executable of the Internet Explorer browser from Mircosoft. It is considered a part of the Windows operating system. Check the security settings for this program to minimize the risk when you are surfing.

Note: Any malware can be named anything - so you should check where the files of the running processes are located on your disk.If a "non-Microsoft" .exe file is located in the C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32 folder, then there is a high risk for a virus, spyware, trojan or worm infection!Check it out!

3764 users ask for this file.67 users rated it as not dangerous.15 users rated it as not so dangerous.69 users rated it as neutral.49 users rated it as little bit dangerous.146 users rated it as dangerous.54 users didn't rate it ("don't know").

ccapp.exe ccevtmgr.exe ezsp_px.exe gearsec.exe htpatch.exe ieuser.exe iexplore.exe mcshield.exe msascui.exe navshext.dll nprotect.exe nvsvc32.exe point32.exe smc.exe vsmon.exe webscanx.exe wmpnetwk.exe

[iexplore.exe in German] [all processes]

Got a number of Endpoint security 8.1 boxes on which I've loaded the KB6119 HIPS policy. Since I had a script that starts Internet explorer, I made a new policy to append a rule that allows wscript.exe to start C:\Program Files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe (note especially how the underlined part is written). For the record, the script is named script.cmd and contains:

This worked on a couple of systems. However, I was receiving HIPS alerts from other systems. Upon closer inspection the problem was that in the scripts used in those systems, I had written script.cmd with different casing in the words internet explorer, ie:

It seems that the HIPS rule differentiates between these two cases, although it shouldn't (as far as I know, Windows file system names are case insensitive, therefore the first rule should match the 2nd case as well.

The scenario is this: we have a Checkpoint VPN software that does not run well under Windows 10. In order to be able to actually utilize it successfully, a user has to start internet explorer as an admin.

This is problematic as you can understand, since this opens a full can of worms. So we've been instructed to follow this approach: install powertoys and create two scripts. One that launches internet explorer named script.cmd:

Also note that this elevate process not only changes IE permissions but appears to also start it. Existing Eset anti-ransomware rules will not monitor any process startup activity from elevate.exe. HIPS rules are not global in nature. For example; they will monitor IE startup from cmd.exe. They will monitor elevate,exe startup from cmd.exe. If elevate.exe is allowed to start by cmd.exe, anything that elevate.exe starts will be allowed to run. A separate HIPS rule needs to be created to monitor elevate.exe process startup.

The genuine iexplore.exe file is a software component of Windows Internet Explorer by Microsoft.

Internet Explorer is an Internet browser developed by Microsoft. Iexplore.exe is the installation file of Internet Explorer and does not pose a threat to your PC.

Developed by Microsoft, Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers that are part of the Windows lineup of operating systems. It is one of the most widely used web browsers, and was introduced with Plus! for Windows 95 that year. Internet Explorer was replaced with Microsoft Edge in 2015, which makes IE 11 its last release. Internet Explorer is still included with Windows 10 mostly for enterprise purposes.

Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the Microsoft Corporation, headquartered in Redmond, Washington is an American multinational technology company that is renowned for its Windows lineup of operating systems, Internet Explorer web browsers, Xbox video game consoles and Microsoft Surface tablets. Microsoft is derived from the words "microcomputer" and "software".

The .exe extension on a filename indicates an executable file. Executable files may, in some cases, harm your computer. Therefore, please read below to decide for yourself whether the iexplore.exe on your computer is a Trojan that you should remove, or whether it is a file belonging to the Windows operating system or to a trusted application.

The process known as Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer or Updater belongs to software Windows Internet Explorer (version 9, 8, 7) or Internet Explorer (version 11, 11 Release Preview) or Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Windows Operating System or Adobe Flash Player (version 11 ActiveX) or WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe or Updater or Super DVD Creator (version 9.8 Trial Version) by Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) or WinUpdate.

Is iexplore.exe a virus? No, it is not. The true iexplore.exe file is a safe Microsoft Windows system process, called "Internet Explorer".However, writers of malware programs, such as viruses, worms, and Trojans deliberately give their processes the same file name to escape detection. Viruses with the same file name are such as Trojan-Spy.Win32.WinSpy.acj or Backdoor.Win32.Cbot.bg (detected by Kaspersky), and Spyware.PCAcme or WS.Reputation.1 (detected by Symantec).

To ensure that no rogue iexplore.exe is running on your PC, click here to run a Free Malware Scan.

Important: Some malware camouflages itself as iexplore.exe, particularly when located in the C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32 folder. Therefore, you should check the iexplore.exe process on your PC to see if it is a threat. We recommend Security Task Manager for verifying your computer's security. This was one of the Top Download Picks of The Washington Post and PC World.

Summary: Average user rating of iexplore.exe: based on 333 votes with 9 user comments.64 users think iexplore.exe is essential for Windows or an installed application.13 users think it's probably harmless.67 users think it's neither essential nor dangerous.51 users suspect danger.138 users think iexplore.exe is dangerous and recommend removing it.51 users don't grade iexplore.exe ("not sure about it").

A clean and tidy computer is the key requirement for avoiding problems with iexplore. This means running a scan for malware, cleaning your hard drive using 1cleanmgr and 2sfc /scannow, 3uninstalling programs that you no longer need, checking for Autostart programs (using 4msconfig) and enabling Windows' 5Automatic Update. Always remember to perform periodic backups, or at least to set restore points.

Should you experience an actual problem, try to recall the last thing you did, or the last thing you installed before the problem appeared for the first time. Use the 6resmon command to identify the processes that are causing your problem. Even for serious problems, rather than reinstalling Windows, you are better off repairing of your installation or, for Windows 8 and later versions, executing the 7DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth command. This allows you to repair the operating system without losing data.

To help you analyze the iexplore.exe process on your computer, the following programs have proven to be helpful: ASecurity Task Manager displays all running Windows tasks, including embedded hidden processes, such as keyboard and browser monitoring or Autostart entries. A unique security risk rating indicates the likelihood of the process being potential spyware, malware or a Trojan. BMalwarebytes Anti-Malware detects and removes sleeping spyware, adware, Trojans, keyloggers, malware and trackers from your hard drive.

In mid-May 2024, we tracked this updated Void Banshee campaign using internal and external telemetry. The Void Banshee group used similar tools, tactics, and procedures (TTPs) that involved abusing internet shortcuts (.URL) and Microsoft protocol handlers and URI schemes, including the MHTML (MIME encapsulation of aggregate HTML documents) protocol which was able to access Windows system-disabled Internet Explorer.

In the attack chain shown in Figure 1, the threat actor leveraged CVE-2024-38112 to execute malicious code by abusing the MHTML protocol handler and x-usc directives through internet shortcut (URL) files. Using this technique, the threat actor was able to access and run files directly through the disabled Internet Explorer instance on Windows machines. This MHTML code execution vulnerability was used to infect users and organizations with Atlantida malware.

Internet Explorer (IE) has officially ended support on June 15, 2022. Additionally, IE has been officially disabled through later versions of Windows 10, including all versions of Windows 11. Disabled, however, does not mean IE was removed from the system. The remnants of IE exist on the modern Windows system, though it is not accessible to the average user (Figure 2).

If users attempt to execute the IE executable (iexplore.exe), instead its replacement, Microsoft Edge, opens. For users and organizations that need to access sites and workloads through Internet Explorer, Microsoft has provided IE mode for Microsoft Edge (Figure 3). IE mode for Edge contains some IE-specific functionality, but operates inside the Microsoft Edge sandbox, which in theory provides enhanced security for the end user.

In this campaign, the ZDI threat hunting team discovered and analyzed samples exploiting CVE-2024-38112, which we disclosed to Microsoft. These samples could run and execute files and websites through the disabled IE process by exploiting CVE-2024-38112 through MSHTML. By using specially crafted.URL files that contained the MHTML protocol handler and the x-usc! directive, Void Banshee was able to access and run HTML Application (HTA) files directly through the disabled IE process. This method of exploitation is similar to CVE-2021-40444, another MSHTML vulnerability that was used in zero-day attacks. This method of using the disabled IE process as a proxy to access sites and scripts is especially alarming, as IE has historically been a vast attack surface but now receives no further updates or security fixes.

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