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Normally, a Windows program's setup wizard asks where and what to install on the computer before the program begins to install. Installation doesn't begin until the user confirms by clicking on the Install button.

However, this made me wonder: could malware writers abuse the standard setup wizard process by installing programs on the computer before the installation settings are confirmed or if the setup wizard is aborted? This could be worrisome, since opening a setup wizard requires admin privileges.

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    It depends on how trustworthy the source is. If they're bundling malware, it wouldn't be a stretch to surrepticiously install it. Without specifying the software and source, people here can only guess. But if you're really talking about bundled crapware, it would be easy enough to look to see if it was installed and to run a virus checker scan.
    – fixer1234
    Jun 20, 2015 at 23:36
  • Downvote seems unfair, so +1
    – Dave
    Jul 9, 2015 at 7:24
  • I have also voted to re-open
    – Dave
    Jul 9, 2015 at 8:19

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Could the malware offered from the setup wizard install automatically even if I didn't finish the installation process?

You have executed a program. You feel that because you didn't actually complete the installer that nothing could be installed - this is not correct. As soon as you run an application (and an installer is an application) then that application will and do what ever the application does. If this means it installs malware or not, so be it.

Whether it installed the malware you were talking about or not, we can't know. A virus scan will probably be the best bet.

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