How to remove the IcedID trojan

What kind of malware is IcedID?

IcedID (also known as Bokbot) is high-risk trojan that poses a significant threat to your privacy, and financial and computer safety.

It is typically proliferated using another trojan called Emotet, which is often distributed using spam email campaigns. After successful system infiltration, IcedID performs various malicious actions to monitor browsing activity, steal personal information, and manipulate the system.

More about IcedID

This trojan firstly entered the scene in September 2017 and, initially, was designed to steal banking credentials. It sets up a local proxy and monitors browsing activity. When users visits a website of a certain bank, IcedID redirects them to a fake website with identical appearance.

Unlike other similar trojans, however, IcedID does not simply redirect to an identical website with a different URL, it maintains the connection with the original website to display the original URL and SSL certificate. This often tricks users into believing that they are safe. Thus, they enter login credentials that are immediately saved to a Command & Control (C&C) server.

In addition, IcedID controls the entire session and typically uses social engineering techniques to trick users into revealing transaction confirmation (authorization) details. Ultimately cyber criminals gain full access to victims' bank accounts. Therefore, since these criminals aim to generate as much revenue as possible, victims are highly likely to have funds stolen.

Over the years, additional IcedID features have been implemented. It continually communicates with the C&C server and waits for commands to execute.

This malware is capable of performing various tasks, such as sharing the computer screen, downloading and running apps, writing/reading/deleting registry keys, deleting files, gathering credentials of various email service applications, and executing commands (you can find the list of commands IcedID is capable of executing below).

Therefore, IcedID might be used to inject additional viruses into the system. These trojans are often used to proliferate ransomware-type viruses which encrypt data. Furthermore, since IcedID is also capable of deleting files, the presence of this malware may lead to significant data loss.

After gaining access to victims' email accounts, cyber criminals can cause privacy issues and steal identities. Regular users who lack knowledge of cyber security are likely to use an identical password for multiple accounts (most have just one email address, which they use when registering on various websites).

Therefore, criminals can gain access to a number of personal accounts by using the identical passwords or misusing hijacked email accounts via the "Restore Password" function. Therefore, the presence of IcedID can lead to serious privacy issues, significant financial/data loss, and high-risk computer infections.

Examples of similar malware

There are dozens of ransomware-type infections similar to IcedID. The list of examples includes (but is not limited to) Beta Bot, Rietspoof, ExileRat, Nymeria, and Qakbot. 

These infections are developed by different cyber criminals and their behavior might also differ slightly (some gather information, whilst others distribute malware, and so on), however, all are a significant threat to users' finances, computers, and privacy. Therefore, eliminate IcedID and other similar infections immediately.

How did IcedID infiltrate my computer?

As mentioned above, IcedID is mostly distributed using another trojan called Emotet. Criminals distribute Emotet by using spam campaigns (e.g., "O2 Bill Email Virus", "Christmas Greetings Email Virus", "Order Confirmation Email Virus", etc.).

They send hundreds of thousands of deceptive email messages that encourage users to open attached files (most of which are Microsoft Office documents). These are usually presented as invoices, bills, etc. Once opened, the attachments inject the Emotet trojan into the system. The IcedID infiltration method contains few steps.

Firstly, it injects itself into a legitimate Windows process. One of the analyzed samples injecting itself into "svchost.exe". This malware also checks whether it has enough privileges to perform various actions. If not, it reruns itself to trigger the User Account Control (UAC) prompt and asks the user to grant administrator privileges.

Once fully infiltrated, IcedID performs several actions, such as creating a registry entry so that it cam run on each system startup, setting up a local proxy, establishing connection with the C&C server, and gathering system-related data. Ultimately, IcedID ends up waiting for a response from the C&C server for which commands to execute.

How to avoid installation of malware?

To prevent this situation, be very cautious when browsing the internet. Carefully analyze each email attachment received. If you receive an attachment (link/file) that is irrelevant or the sender seems suspicious, do not open anything.

Bear in mind that criminals try to abuse users' curiosity by sending various deceptive messages, such as "you have won a lottery", "you have received a package", "money has been transferred to your bank account", and so on. Never fall for these tricks.

Criminals often claim to be employees of legitimate companies, banks and governmental agencies to give the impression of legitimacy. Therefore, if you receive an email from a company that you have no business with, delete the email immediately.

Having a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and running is also paramount, since these tools can detect and eliminate malware before the system is damaged. The key to computer safety is caution. If you believe that your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

List of actions that IcedID can perform once a command from the C&C server is received:

• Delete a registry key
• Delete local file
• Download and execute a file
• Execute an external .DAT module
• Execute local (already installed) application
• Gather credentials stored in the following apps: Windows Mail, RimArts, IncrediMail, Outlook, Windows Live Mail
• Read a registry key
• Return info about the process IceID was injected to
• Return the environmental variables
• Run the network spreading module
• Send back client's logs
• Shutdown the system
• Sleep
• Terminate an external .DAT module
• Update C&C server address
• Update itself
• Update the communication delay time
• Update the external VNC (Virtual Network Computing) module
• Update the list of forged websites
• Update the list of tracked websites
• Upload desktop files
• Write a registry key

Screenshot of a malicious Microsoft Word document ("price_request_9830.doc") which injects IcedID trojan into the system:

Example of a malicious Microsoft Excel document ("1May__1.xls") designed to inject IcedID trojan into the system:

Examples of other malicious Microsoft Word documents used to spread IcedID trojan:

Example of a spam email used to spread a malicious MS Excel document which injects IcedID trojan into the system:

Text presented within:

Subject: Re: Re: Updated my email address

Good morning,

Please read this ASAP

Thank you.

> ********, We got your message, and we've updated our address books. We're all good to go! Regards, ******** > On 02/12/2021 12:33 AM ******** wrote: > > ********, > > I've got a new email address! It's ********. Please update your address books, so that we don't lose touch. > > Sincerely, > > ********

Screenshot of the attached malicious MS Excel document:

Another example of a malicious MS Excel document used to spread IcedID trojan:

Screenshot of a malicious website (braveapp-browser.com) disguising IcedID trojan as Brave Browser:

Screenshot of a fake Zoom download website (va-zum[.]com) spreading IcedID malware by presenting it as Zoom software:

Update 29 March 2023: Recently, newer versions of IcedID malware have surfaced, but with a twist - instead of focusing on online banking fraud, they aim to inject additional malware on compromised systems.

These new variants have been observed being utilized by three different threat actors across seven campaigns since late last year, with the main objective of delivering further payloads, particularly ransomware.

The two recent IcedID loader variants, dubbed "Lite" and "Forked", both offer the same IcedID bot but with a more limited set of capabilities. The "Lite" version of the IcedID malware loader was distributed as a second-stage payload on systems that had already been infected by the recently-revived Emotet malware, starting in November 2022.

At the beginning of 2023, the "Forked" version of the malware loader was first spotted being distributed through personalized phishing emails masquerading as invoices.

These messages included Microsoft OneNote attachments (.one) to execute a malicious HTA file, which then runs a PowerShell command that retrieves IcedID from a remote source. Simultaneously, the victim is presented with a decoy PDF.

Screenshot of the malicious OneNote file used to distribute the latest IcedID variants:

How to remove malware manually?

Most trojan infections can be removed by running a full system scan with Combo Cleaner. The full manual procedure below is for cases where automatic removal failed, where you want to verify a scan caught everything, or where the threat has multiple persistence points.

Tools you'll need

Combo Cleaner Antivirus 7-days free trial

Recommended primary scanner. VB100 certified. The 7-day free trial is available.

Microsoft Defender Offline Free · built-in

Built into Windows. Boots to a clean environment to catch rootkits.

Process Explorer Free

From Microsoft Sysinternals. Better than Task Manager - shows full paths and signatures.

Autoruns Free

From Microsoft Sysinternals. Lists every place malware can persist on your system.

Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT) Free

Official Microsoft on-demand scanner. Always-current signatures - expires every 10 days.

Phase 1~ 5 min

Contain - limit the damage

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1

Disconnect from the network

30 secNo tool needed

Unplug your Ethernet cable and turn off Wi-Fi. If you're on a laptop, the airplane-mode key works fastest.

Why this matters

Many trojans exfiltrate data - saved browser passwords, banking sessions, screenshots - and accept remote commands. Cutting the network stops both immediately. Keep it disconnected until Phase 4.

2

Boot into Safe Mode with Networking

3 min

Safe Mode loads a minimal set of drivers and stops most malware from auto-running. "With Networking" lets you download tools - re-enable Wi-Fi only after you've booted in.

Windows 11

Open Settings → System → Recovery. Click Restart now next to Advanced startup.

Your computer will restart into the "Choose an option" menu. Click Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart. After the second reboot, press 5 or F5.

Windows 10

Click the Windows logo, hold Shift, click the Power icon and choose Restart. In the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart. Press F5.

Windows 8

Go to the Start Screen, type Advanced, select Settings → Advanced startup options → Restart now → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup settings → Restart → F5.

Note: Windows 8 reached end-of-life in January 2023 - running on it puts you at much higher risk of reinfection.

Windows 7

Click Start → Shut Down → Restart → OK. As the system boots, press F8 repeatedly until the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, then choose Safe Mode with Networking.

Note: Windows 7 reached end-of-life in January 2020 - running on it puts you at much higher risk of reinfection.

Phase 2~ 15 min

Identify - find what's hiding

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3

Inspect running processes with Process Explorer

Tool: Process Explorer5 min

Download Process Explorer from Microsoft Sysinternals. Run it as Administrator. Click Options → Verify Image Signatures and View → Lower Pane View → DLLs.

Sort by "Verified Signer." Anything unsigned running from %AppData%, %LocalAppData%, %Temp%, or %ProgramData% is suspicious. Right-click → Properties to see the full image path. Right-click → "Search Online" to look up unfamiliar process names.

Why not just Task Manager

Task Manager hides full file paths, doesn't show digital signatures, and groups processes in ways that make malware easy to miss. Process Explorer is the same tool Microsoft engineers use.

4

Map every persistence point with Autoruns

Tool: Autoruns 14.x10 min

Download Autoruns. Right-click Autoruns.exe and choose Run as administrator - without elevation, Autoruns can't inspect protected registry hives.

In the menu, open Options → Hide Microsoft Entries and Options → Hide Empty Locations, then click Refresh.

Modern trojans don't just live in startup. Walk through these tabs and look for unsigned or unfamiliar entries:

• Logon - classic Run/RunOnce keys
• Scheduled Tasks - frequent hiding spot, especially tasks with PowerShell, MSHTA, or rundll32 actions
• Services - unsigned services in non-Microsoft folders
• WMI - Event Subscriptions are a stealthy persistence mechanism (MITRE T1546.003)
• Image Hijacks - Image File Execution Options "Debugger" abuse
• AppInit - DLLs loaded into every GUI process
• Browser plug-ins - unsigned add-ons across all installed browsers

Pro tip

Right-click any suspicious entry → "Jump to Image" to see the actual file. Right-click → "Search Online" opens VirusTotal for the file hash. Don't delete yet - just write down the file paths and entry names. We'll remove them after the scans.

5

Check the hosts file and DNS settings

3 minBuilt into Windows

Trojans often redirect bank, antivirus, and update domains to attacker-controlled servers by editing the hosts file or DNS settings.

Hosts file: Open Notepad as Administrator and open C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts. Legitimate entries are commented with #. Any uncommented IP-to-domain mapping is suspicious - especially redirects for microsoft.com, windowsupdate, or your bank.

DNS settings: Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run ipconfig /all. Confirm your DNS servers point to your ISP, your router, or a known public resolver (Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, Google 8.8.8.8). Then open Settings → Network & internet → [your adapter] → DNS server assignment and verify both DNS and DNS over HTTPS (DoH) settings haven't been hijacked.

Why this matters

A clean PC with hijacked DNS is still a compromised PC. You'll think you're at chase.com and you'll be at the attacker's clone.

Phase 3~ 60-90 min

Remove - three scans, one cleanup

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No single antivirus catches everything. The order below is intentional: offline scan first (catches rootkits before Windows fully loads), then on-demand scanners on the running system, then manual cleanup of anything they missed.

6

Run Microsoft Defender Offline

Tool: Built into Windows15 min

Reboot to normal Windows. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Scan options. Select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now. Your computer will restart into a stripped-down environment and scan before the full operating system loads.

Why this comes first

Rootkits and bootkits hide from any scanner running on the same Windows session that's already infected. A pre-boot offline scan sees the disk before the malware can hide itself.

Recommended antivirus

Combo Cleaner

VB100 certified. Includes anti-trojan, registry/persistence scanning, anti-spyware in one pass. The 7-day free trial is available.

Download Combo Cleaner

7

Run Combo Cleaner full system scan

Tool: Combo Cleaner20-40 min

Install Combo Cleaner and run a full system scan (not the quick scan). Let it complete fully, review the detected threats, and apply the recommended actions. Combo Cleaner will quarantine known trojans and registry persistence.

8

Run Microsoft Safety Scanner as a second-opinion scan

Tool: Microsoft Safety Scanner15 min

Download Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT.exe), Microsoft's free on-demand tool. The binary expires every 10 days, which means every download has the latest signatures. Run a full scan after Combo Cleaner to catch anything one engine alone might miss.

Why a second scan

Different scanning engines catch different threats. Running an additional Microsoft scan after Combo Cleaner is the single most underused verification step in malware removal.

9

Manually remove anything still listed in Autoruns

Tool: Autoruns10 min

Reopen Autoruns. Anything you flagged in Step 4 that's still present hasn't been caught by the automated scans. For each remaining suspicious entry: right-click → Delete in Autoruns (this removes the persistence registration), then navigate to the file path and delete the actual file. Empty the Recycle Bin.

Important

Some malware files reappear after deletion because something else on the system recreates them. If you delete a file and it returns within minutes, you have a remaining persistence point that Autoruns didn't show - usually a service or scheduled task running under SYSTEM. Re-run the scans from Steps 6-8 or proceed to a clean install (see end of guide).

Phase 4~ 15 min

Recover - restore browsers and security

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10

Reset browsers and clear notification permissions

5 min

Trojans and adware frequently hijack browsers - change the default search engine, install rogue extensions, or grant themselves notification permissions to keep displaying scam pop-ups even after the malware is gone.

• Chrome: visit chrome://settings/reset and click "Restore settings to their original defaults." Then visit chrome://settings/content/notifications and remove any unfamiliar sites.
• Edge: visit edge://settings/reset. Then check edge://settings/content/notifications.
• Firefox: open about:support and click Refresh Firefox (Firefox uses "Refresh," not "Reset"). Then check Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Notifications.

Review installed extensions in each browser and remove anything you don't recognize, especially extensions you didn't install yourself.

11

Re-enable Defender, Tamper Protection, and update everything

10 min

Many trojans disable security software. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage settings and confirm Real-time protection, Cloud-delivered protection, and Tamper Protection are all turned on. Tamper Protection prevents malware from disabling Defender silently.

Then run Windows Update (Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates) and update your browsers and applications. The infection vector that let the trojan in originally usually involves outdated software.

Phase 5~ 15 min + 7 days

Verify & secure

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12

Change passwords from a clean device

20 min⚠ Critical

If the trojan was an info-stealer (Lumma, RedLine, Vidar, and similar are extremely common), assume every password saved in your browser is compromised. Change them from a different, known-clean device - your phone is fine if it's not infected.

Recommended order:

1. Primary email first - it's the recovery hub for everything else
2. Banking and financial accounts
3. Password manager master password (if you use one)
4. Social media, shopping, and remaining accounts

Where available, enable phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (passkeys / FIDO2 hardware keys / authenticator apps) - SMS-based MFA is bypassable by sophisticated attackers.

13

Verify the clean and monitor for 7 days

5 min + 1 week monitoring

Reconnect to the network and run one final full scan with Combo Cleaner. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and switch to the Startup apps tab - confirm nothing suspicious has reappeared.

Over the next 7 days, watch for symptom recurrence: unexpected high CPU usage, unknown processes returning, browser redirects, or pop-ups. If anything returns, you missed a persistence point and the procedure needs to be repeated - or you may have a deeper compromise that requires a clean install.

When to clean install Windows instead

Manual removal isn't always the right answer. Reinstalling Windows from scratch is the only way to be 100% certain when:

• The malware reappears after every removal attempt
• A bootkit or UEFI rootkit was detected (this class of threat sits below the operating system and survives a normal Windows reinstall)
• A confirmed credential-theft trojan ran with administrator privileges (Lumma, RedLine, Vidar) - the system likely has multiple unknown payloads
• The PC is used for online banking, business email, or anything where partial doubt isn't acceptable

A clean install is a 30-60 minute process: Windows 11 reinstall via Settings → System → Recovery → Reset this PC → Remove everything → Cloud download. Back up documents to external storage first, scan the backup with Combo Cleaner before restoring it, and reinstall applications fresh - never restore them from a backup of the infected system.

Important: Manual removal requires advanced computer skills. If you're not confident identifying system files from malicious files, run an automated scan with Combo Cleaner and Windows Defender and stop there - that path catches the vast majority of consumer trojans without the risk of breaking Windows by deleting the wrong file.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

My computer is infected with IcedID malware, should I format my storage device to get rid of it?

No, formatting is unnecessary. This malware can be eliminated by following steps provided in this article.

What are the biggest issues that malware can cause?

It depends on the type of malware. It can be used to steal identities, encrypt files, steal online accounts, money, and for other purposes.

What is the purpose of IcedID malware?

This malware monitors web browsing activity and steals personal information like account login credentials and other data that could be misused to hijack online bank accounts. Also, it can share the computer screen, download and run apps, write/read/delete registry keys, delete files, gather login credentials saved in email service applications, and execute commands.

How did a malware infiltrate my computer?

Pretty often, IcedID is distributed via another Trojan called Emotet. Cybercriminals deliver the aforementioned Trojan using mainly emails (malicious attachments or links in emails).

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate almost all known malicious software. Computers infected with high-end malware must be scanned using a full scan. Malware of this kind is capable of hiding deep in the system.