Route.exe: Windows Routing Table Manager

route.exe is a command-line utility in Windows operating systems used to view and manipulate the IP routing table. It's a powerful tool for network administrators and advanced users to control how network traffic is routed on a particular machine. It is not a virus, nor can it become a virus. It's a built-in, legitimate Windows component. However, malicious actors could use route.exe (or any command-line tool) as part of a larger attack, for example, by adding malicious routes via a script. The tool itself is safe; its misuse is the potential threat.

Purpose and Functionality

The primary function of route.exe is to display and modify the entries in the local IP routing table. The routing table dictates where network traffic destined for specific IP addresses or networks should be sent. Each entry in the routing table specifies:

• Destination: The target network or host IP address.
• Network Mask (Netmask): Defines the network portion of the destination address.
• Gateway: The IP address of the next hop router to which traffic should be sent.
• Interface: The network interface (e.g., network card) to use for sending the traffic.
• Metric: A cost value associated with the route. Lower metrics are preferred.

route.exe allows you to:

• View the Routing Table: Display the current routing table entries.
• Add Routes: Create new entries in the routing table.
• Delete Routes: Remove existing entries.
• Modify Routes: Change the properties of existing entries (gateway, metric, etc.).
• Flush the Routing Table: Clear all entries (be extremely careful with this!).
• Make persistent route: The added route can be kept after reboot.

Usage

The basic syntax of the route.exe command is: