Image File Execution Options (IFEO)

What lives here

A developer-debugging hook: Windows launches the program listed in the Debugger value INSTEAD of the real program.

What changing it does

Setting a Debugger value here silently replaces or intercepts a program every time it runs — a classic hijack and malware-persistence trick. Legitimate uses outside real debugging are rare.

Risk level: danger. A .reg file from an unknown source touching this location deserves real scrutiny before you merge it.

Deciding whether to trust a file at all? Read the guide: Is this file safe to open?