While the term may sound like a specific virus, "Installer Viral" refers to a broad category of malicious code distribution where the delivery mechanism is the installation process itself.

In short, it weaponizes the installation wizard.

You cannot rely on "common sense" alone anymore. To defend against the Installer Viral threat:

In the digital age, we are all looking for shortcuts. We want the premium software for free, the latest movie before it hits theaters, or that one specific driver that fixes our PC issues. This behavior has given rise to a specific, potent threat vector known as the —malware specifically designed to hide inside legitimate-looking installation wizards.