msedge.exe
Sources: 300M+ executions observed in the wild.
Summary
Microsoft Edge web browser based on Chromium. Uses the same multi-process architecture as Chrome, with separate renderer, GPU, and utility processes. Multiple simultaneous instances are normal.
msedge.exe is the 49th most commonly executed Windows program in EchoTrail's dataset, observed 768,876 times across enterprise environments. It typically runs from C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application and it is most often launched by msedge.exe.
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Behavior
Top Paths
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application100%
Top Hashes (SHA256)
- 65d72c3ba84d3e223e8ef42a0e4a6dc6d1202519fdc3308d9234c41c7d1d29b01.79%
- 3a4dfd254fe2e7f0956c23ecf43a71382650063553eb11fdf62dc4681847b04b1.69%
- f29b489acfae7f66a531c1c77556855aabf4cc663d6346edcce809005f65ea2b1.43%
- acb63f45b2bf6ad2bc084f9347cf978cee7228137d2f5b31716adaa773ecdf0f1.3%
- 9f7d5a989723335778e472049733d20a160b338a53de1a37b6a9aa42a07ea2a71.1%
- 431c7c80c02e8e328d3056ddd6a7c59a254b8cc084d35380342a5df33a4f2f9a0.95%
- a588a724109c066abc1075cc6822fa1cea1a7fee1385886d37b551d9a89fe9c80.91%
- 5ec7246f2f2933d0b99d4f12cce1425aee9e1fad37e130bae0c4202cf783fa820.9%
- a8927d517dc469c93afcacc154d6dfb3d8b2c45dc08de5095c46c0cb0d4d1e3a0.89%
- 8524464cf3ccfb86acba722a52460a27172445198c05c9c1f31adf3bd3c34c3b0.88%
Process Ancestry
Top Parents
- msedge.exe97.09%
- explorer.exe0.85%
- OUTLOOK.EXE0.65%
- sihost.exe0.52%
- iexplore.exe0.25%
- ie_to_edge_stub.exe0.17%
- chrome.exe0.06%
- Teams.exe0.03%
Top Children
- msedge.exe81.46%
- identity_helper.exe18.35%
- crashpad_handler.exe0.05%
- prusa-slicer.exe0.02%
- EXCEL.EXE0.02%
- Zoom.exe0.01%
- setup.exe0.01%
- Softphone.exe0.01%
- cmd.exe0.01%
- wordpad.exe0.01%
Security Analysis
What does msedge.exe normally do?
Multi-process architecture — many simultaneous instances are normal.
When is msedge.exe suspicious?
Spawning shells (cmd.exe, powershell.exe). Running from unexpected paths. DLL sideloading.
How do attackers abuse msedge.exe?
Similar to Chrome — DLL search order hijacking, drive-by downloads. Browsers spawning shells is the primary detection hypothesis.
Detection guidance
Monitor for shell spawning. DLL sideloading via application directories.
False positive notes
Multiple instances are normal. Update processes may spawn temporarily.
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