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What’s balenaEtcher.exe (balenaEtcher)? Is it safe or a virus?

balenaEtcher.exe by Balena Inc is a user-friendly application designed to flash disk images onto storage devices such as SD cards and USB drives. It is commonly used for creating bootable drives or setting up operating systems like Linux distributions and Raspberry Pi images.

The tool ensures a streamlined and safe flashing process by verifying the integrity of the written data to prevent corrupted images. Its simple interface makes it suitable for users of all experience levels. balenaEtcher supports various image file formats, including ISO and IMG, and works across multiple platforms, such as Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Researched by Carl @ SpyShelter Labs

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More about balenaEtcher.exe on WINDOWS

Who makes balenaEtcher.exe (balenaEtcher)?

We’ve found Balena Inc should be the publisher of balenaEtcher.exe.

How do we know? Our SpyShelter cybersecurity labs focuses on monitoring different types of Windows PC executables and their behaviors for our popular SpyShelter Antispyware software. Learn more about us, and how our cybersecurity team studies Windows PC executables/processes.

What does it mean if someone is the publisher of a PC .exe (executable or process)?

The publisher of an executable is the entity responsible for its distribution and authenticity. Most processes/executables on your PC should be signed. The signature on the executable should have been verified through a third party whose job it is to make sure the entity is who it says it is. Find an unsigned executable? You should consider scanning any completely unsigned .exe on your PC.

Last updated: March 27, 2025

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Why should you trust us?

Our team at SpyShelter has been studying Windows PC executables for over 15 years, to help fight against spyware, malware, and other threats. SpyShelter has been featured in publications like The Register, PC Magazine, and many others. Now we’re working to share free, actionable, and easy to understand information about Windows executables (processes) with the world, to help as many people as possible keep their devices safe. Learn more about us on our "About SpyShelter” page.

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