Advice Request Is Process Hacker safe?

[SumTingWong]

Is Processor Hacker safe? I got a warning from ESET Nod32 said "a variant of Win64/Processes Hacker.A potentially unsafe application". Then I uploaded the downloaded file to VirusTotal, and holy molly it got detected more than 10 engines. Is it safe? If it safe then why it got detected more than 10 engines like it is an actual malware?

 

[Paul Lee]

100% safe. Nothing to worry about. Just a false positive

 

[ForgottenSeer 85911]

Is Processor Hacker safe? I got a warning from ESET Nod32 said "a variant of Win64/Processes Hacker.A potentially unsafe application". Then I uploaded the downloaded file to VirusTotal, and holy molly it got detected more than 10 engines. Is it safe? If it safe then why it got detected more than 10 engines like it is an actual malware?

process hacker can be used to tamper with security services and other malicious actions
hence soem av rate it as hack tool or PUA

 

[ForgottenSeer 823865]

Anything that can kill a process or service is considered as an "Hack Tool" hence the definition name.
note that the word "hack" means "tampering with" , not only for malicious intents.

 

[WhiteMouse]

If it's signed then I assume it's safe.

 

[SumTingWong]

100% safe. Nothing to worry about. Just a false positive

If it's signed then I assume it's safe.

Anything that can kill a process or service is considered as an "Hack Tool" hence the definition name.
note that the word "hack" means "tampering with" , not only for malicious intents.

process hacker can be used to tamper with security services and other malicious actions
hence soem av rate it as hack tool or PUA

I got the download file here:

Overview - Process Hacker

Process Hacker, A free, powerful, multi-purpose tool that helps you monitor system resources, debug software and detect malware.

processhacker.sourceforge.io

Anything that can kill a process or service is considered as an "Hack Tool" hence the definition name.

Why Process Explorer not detected but Process Hacker does?

 

[Special]

Because it's better, and Microsoft is afraid of it.

False positives are nothing new with PH, read up about them here. processhacker/processhacker

 

[TairikuOkami]

process hacker can be used to tamper with security services and other malicious actions

Indeed, just like PsExec made by MS. Weapons do not kill people, people do. Tools can be beneficial or dangerous depending on, who uses them.

Petya Ransomware is also taking advantage of WMIC and PSEXEC tools to infect fully-patched Windows computers, you are also advised to disable WMIC.

Petya Ransomware Spreading Rapidly Worldwide, Just Like WannaCry

Petya ransomware, another large-scale ransomware attack is making chaos worldwide, encrypting systems in companies, power supplies and banks

thehackernews.com

If it's signed then I assume it's safe.

I am using Nightly version, that is not signed, but I take it as a bonus, malware can not easily exploit it, since it can not be simply elevated.