How to remove the GoBotKR trojan

What is GoBotKR?

GoBotKR is high-risk trojan-type infection that entered the scene in May, 2018. It is essentially an updated version of another trojan called GoBot2, which is written in the Go programming language. GoBotKR opens a 'backdoor' for cyber criminals to access and remotely control the infected machine.

Research shows that this malware is distributed using torrent websites and targets mainly South Korean users. The presence of this infection on your system can lead to various issues and, therefore, it should be eliminated immediately.

GoBotKR malware overview

As mentioned above, GoBotKR opens a backdoor, which allows criminals to control the compromised machine. Research shows that cyber criminals mainly use compromised machines for DDoS attacks (by connecting them to a botnet) and to seed torrents and proliferate this malware even further.

GoBotKR targets mainly South Korean users (80% of detections were located in South Korea). Additionally, most of the malicious executables are disguised as Korean TV shows/movies and, in some cases, games, which are proliferated using Korean torrent websites. GoBotKR uses various evasion techniques to ensure successful infiltration.

The torrent usually comprises three files: 1) a malicious executable, which is usually in the .PMA [archive] or .DLL format; 2) a .LNK file, which has identical name to the game executable/video file, and; 3) a torrent content file. The torrent's structure (or rather file placement) is important.

The initial directory contains the aforementioned malicious executable, .LNK file, and a directory (which is usually hidden). If the user manages to navigate to the hidden directory and open the video/game from there, nothing will happen, however, many users do not pay enough attention and end up opening the .LNK file (which, as mentioned above, is disguised as the movie/game itself).

The .LNK file then automatically runs the disguised executable and infects the system. Additionally, the .LNK file opens the video or game as well, simply a measure to prevent the user from becoming suspicious. Following infiltration, GoBotKR takes a number of actions.

Firstly, it checks various system information (IP address, CPU/GPU model, network configuration, etc.) and sends it to a remote Command & Control (C&C) server. This is to determine for which DDoS attacks each machine should be used. Furthermore, GoBotKR checks the list of running processes and searches for those included in its blacklist.

These processes belong to various anti-virus/anti-spyware suites and, if at least one is detected, GoBotKR immediately terminates and deletes itself. If the machine's IP address suggests that it belongs to one of the organizations (e.g., Kaspersky, ESET-NOD32, etc.) in GoBotKR's blacklist, it again terminates/deletes itself.

In addition, GoBotKR runs two processes. The second process (a so-called "watchdog") simply monitors the first (which operates as malware) and ensures that it will run. If the first process is terminated, the watchdog immediately relaunches it. GoBotKR's behavior clearly indicates that it is dangerous malware and a threat to the system.

Although its main purpose is to connect infected machines to a botnet and to seed torrents, it is also capable of performing a number of other malicious actions, such as accessing various URLs, modifying browser options, executing files/commands/scripts, enabling and disabling Windows Task Manager/Command Prompt/Registry editors, and many others (full list below).

Therefore, its presence can be fatal to the system. Cyber criminals can inject computers with additional high-risk viruses, such as ransomware or data-stealing trojans. Ransomware infections compromise stored files (typically, by encryption) to blackmail victims by offering paid recovery (in most cases, it is impossible to manually restore data).

Data-stealing trojans usually target banks, social networks, email, and other personal accounts. They steal victims' contacts, logins/passwords, and other sensitive data, and store it on a remote server. Cyber criminals later use the information to generate revenue (via money transfers, online purchases, etc.).

Therefore, the presence of ransomware and trojan infections can lead to significant financial/data losses, identity theft, and various other issues. Furthermore, the user might be unaware that the system is connected to a botnet. The malicious processes are concealed, and it is virtually impossible to detect their presence without carefully studying the system.

When performing a DDoS attack, however, system performance should diminish significantly. Criminals essentially use infected machines to send queries to remote servers/websites to force them to crash.

The infected machine's resources (especially the network) is highly loaded, thus rendering it less efficient when performing other tasks. Therefore, the performance of a machine that is connected to a botnet significantly diminishes.

Similar malware examples

There are dozens of trojan-type infections that share similarities with GoBotKR. The list of examples includes (but is not limited to) Qakbot, DanaBot, Emotet, Hancitor, FormBook, and TrickBot.

The behavior of these infections might differ slightly, however, all pose a significant threat to users' privacy and computer safety. For this reason, trojan-type infections such as GoBotKR should be eliminated immediately.

How did GoBotKR infiltrate my computer?

GoBotKR is promoted using various Korean websites. Using peer-to-peer (P2P networks) to proliferate malware is a common method. Criminals present malicious executables as legitimate software, thereby tricking users into manual download/installation of malware.

The same applies to other unofficial software download sources, such as freeware download websites, free file hosting sites, and similar. Trojan infections are also proliferated using spam email campaigns, other trojans (chain infections), and fake software updaters and 'cracks'.

Spam campaigns allow cyber criminals to send hundreds of thousands of deceptive emails containing malicious attachments (links/files) and deceptive messages encouraging recipients to open them. It is also likely for these attachments will be presented as 'important documents' - in this way, criminals attempt to give the impression of legitimacy and increase the chance of tricking recipients.

Trojans stealthily infiltrate computers to inject additional malware. Fake updaters infect computers by exploiting outdated software bugs/flaws or simply downloading and installing malware rather than updates. Finally, fake cracks infect computers rather than granting access to paid software features.

How to avoid installation of malware?

The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge of these threats and careless behavior. Caution is the key to safety. Therefore, pay attention when browsing the Internet and downloading, installing, and updating software. Handle email attachments with care. If the file/link is irrelevant or the sender seems suspicious, do not open anything.

Download programs from official sources only, preferably using direct download links. Keep installed applications and operating systems up-to-date, however, use only implemented functions or tools provided by the official developer. Software piracy is a cyber crime and the risk of infection is extremely high.

Therefore, cracking installed applications should never be considered. Have a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and running at all times.

This software detects and eliminate malware before the system is harmed. 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 GoBotKr malware features:

• Access an URL address
• Change Internet Explorer homepage option
• Change desktop wallpaper
• Enable and disable Windows Command Prompt
• Enable and disable Windows Task Manager
• Enable and disable Windows registry editors
• Execute a DDoS attack on a specified target
• Execute files/commands/scripts
• Hide a process window
• Inject itself to connected removable devices, and setup a AutoRun function
• Inject itself to public folders of cloud storage services (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive)
• Log off/shut down/reboot the system
• Modify Windows Firewall options and hosts file, open a port
• Run a reverse proxy server
• Run an HTTP server
• Seed torrents
• Terminate a process
• Update/terminate/uninstall itself

List of anti-virus process names (substrings) checked by GoBotKR malware:

• 360 (360 Total Security)
• Avast  (Avast)
• Avira (Avira)
• BitDefender (BitDefender)
• ByteFence (ByteFence)
• Ksde (Kaspersky)
• McUICnt (McAfee)
• RwVnSvc (AhnLab Anti-Ransomware Tool)
• V3Clinic (AhnLab, V3 Internet Security)
• V3Lite (AhnLab, V3 Internet Security)
• avp (Kaspersky)
• kavsvc (Kaspersky)
• kwsprotect (Kingsoft Internet Security)
• kxe (Kingsoft Antivirus)

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 GoBotKR malware, should I format my storage device to get rid of it?

Malware removal rarely requires formatting.

What are the biggest issues that GoBotKR malware can cause?

The threats associated with an infection depend on the malware's capabilities and the cyber criminals' goals. GoBotKR is a highly versatile malicious program. It can open a "backdoor" to systems in order to cause further infection (i.e., download/install trojans, ransomware, etc.), add devices to botnets, carry out DDoS attacks, execute various commands, and so on

Generally, high-risk malware can cause multiple system infections, decreased system performance or failure, data loss, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

What is the purpose of GoBotKR malware?

Malware is most commonly used to generate revenue. However, malicious software can also be utilized to amuse cyber criminals, carry out personal grudges, disrupt processes (e.g., sites, services, companies, etc.), and launch attacks for political/geopolitical reasons.

How did GoBotKR malware infiltrate my computer?

Malware is predominantly spread via untrustworthy download sources (e.g., freeware and free file-hosting websites, P2P sharing networks, etc.), drive-by downloads, spam emails/messages, online scams, malvertising, pirated content, illegal program activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates. What is more, some malicious programs can self-proliferate through local networks and removable storage devices (e.g., external hard drives, USB flash drives, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove almost all known malware infections. It must be stressed that since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems – performing a full system scan is paramount.