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

ICAT.exe is an application developed by NVIDIA Corporation that stands for "Image Comparison and Analysis Tool." It is designed to assist users, particularly within gaming and graphics communities, in comparing image quality across screenshots or frames from videos. ICAT allows users to load, align, and analyze images side-by-side or in overlays, making it easier to spot differences in visual fidelity or rendering effects, such as those caused by different graphics settings, GPUs, or upscaling technologies like NVIDIA DLSS. The tool is intuitive and provides precise comparisons, helping users and developers evaluate performance and quality in real-time visual outputs.

Researched by Carl @ SpyShelter Labs

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A Trojan is a harmful software that pretends to be a legitimate program or file to deceive users into downloading it. It can steal personal information, damage files, or give hackers control over the infected device.

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More about ICAT.exe on WINDOWS

Who makes ICAT.exe (ICAT)?

We’ve found NVIDIA Corporation should be the publisher of ICAT.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 24, 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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