Employ evasion tactics like checking for debuggers or sleeping to bypass antivirus scans.

The most common legitimate version is . This is a core component of Power Query used in Microsoft Excel and Power BI.

It is frequently associated with "Loaders" that deliver payloads like the RedLine Stealer , which targets cryptocurrency wallets, browser passwords, and system information. Behavior: Malicious versions often: Record keyboard and mouse inputs (keylogging). Inject code into other processes.

It manages the background loading and evaluation of data queries from external sources.

If the file is located in C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\ or similar user profile folders, it is likely malicious or unwanted. 3. Other Legitimate Uses

Because "loader" is a general term for a program that starts another application, many malware variants use this name to hide in plain sight.

Typically found in subfolders under C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ or C:\Program Files\Microsoft Power BI Desktop\ .

Users often report high CPU, RAM, or disk usage when this process runs, even if no query appears to be actively refreshing in the foreground. 2. Malicious and Unwanted Software