How to remove SystemBC malware from the operating system

What kind of malware is SystemBC?

SystemBC is malicious software written in the C++ programming language. It sets up SOCKS5 proxies on computers so that cyber criminals can hide malicious traffic that is associated with other malicious programs.

In summary, cyber criminals proliferate SystemBC together with other malware and use the aforementioned SOCKS5 proxies to prevent other malware from being detected. SystemBC is used by a number of cyber criminals and can be purchased on hacker forums. To avoid possible damage, you are strongly advised to remove SystemBC from your system immediately.

More about SystemBC malware

Cyber criminals use SystemBC as a tool to prevent other malware (such as DanaBot, Amadey, and others) from detection by anti-virus software that is installed on the victim's computer.

As mentioned, to hide traffic and avoid detection, SystemBC creates a SOCKS5 proxy, which acts as a channel between the victim's computer and Command and Control (C&C) server controlled by cyber criminals.

In summary, created proxies allow cyber criminals to evade a direct connection between an infected computer and C&C server, and thus maintain undetectable malicious traffic. Software such as DanaBot and Amadey steals personal details (passwords, logins, and other credentials), logs keystrokes, causes installation of malicious software, and so on.

The installed malware can be used to steal details that could be used compromise various accounts, make fraudulent purchases and transactions, trick other people into sending money to cyber criminals, install high-risk malware including ransomware, and perform other actions that enable cyber criminals to generate revenue.

These infections communicate with C&C servers to receive commands and to send recorded data. Thus, hiding the traffic is important to cyber criminals.

In summary, SystemBC is essentially used to prevent other malware infections from being detected. The presence of these malicious applications can cause serious problems such as data/financial loss, privacy issues, and a number of other serious issues. To avoid this, remove SystemBC from the operating system immediately.

SystemBC malware in general

SystemBC acts as a conduit between victims and cyber criminals. It does not proliferate malware, but does hide malicious traffic. Therefore, SystemBC is a dangerous threat. Typically, people do not and install software such as SystemBC intentionally. Information about how cyber criminals proliferate this malicious software is provided below.

How did SystemBC infiltrate my computer?

Research shows that SystemBC infects systems through malware such as DanaBot, Amadey, and other software of this type that is already installed on the operating system, or through RIG and Fallout exploit kits. Exploit kits are programs that are used to initiate exploits against installed vulnerable software.

Typically, this happens when software is outdated, contains bugs/flaws, etc. To trick people into installing malware that can be used to proliferate tools such as SystemBC, cyber criminals employ spam campaigns, Trojans, dubious software download channels, fake updating and activation tools.

Spam campaigns cause computer infections through files that are attached to emails. These attachments are usually Microsoft Office of PDF documents, archive files such as ZIP, RAR, executable files such as .exe, JavaScript files, and so on. Once opened, they install various high-risk computer infections.

Trojans are malicious programs that proliferate other malware. When installed, they cause chain infections. Examples of dubious software download channels are Peer-to-peer networks (eMule, torrent clients, and so on), third party downloaders, freeware of free file hosting websites, etc.

They are used to disguise malicious files as legitimate. If downloaded and opened, however, they infect computers with malicious software. Fake/unofficial software updating tools exploit bugs/flaws of outdated software that is installed on the computer, or they download and install malware rather than updates.

Unofficial activation ('cracking') tools supposedly activate paid software free of charge, however, these programs often install malware and do not bypass any software activation.

How to avoid installation of malware

Do not open attachments or web links that are present in emails received from unknown or/and suspicious addresses. If an attachment or website link within an email is irrelevant, do not open it. Update software through implemented functions or tools that are provided by official developers.

Do not download software from untrustworthy/unofficial websites or using any other tools. The safest way is to use official, trustworthy websites and direct links. Unofficial software activation tools should not be used, since this is illegal and often leads to installation of malware.

Have reputable anti-spyware or anti-virus software installed and scan operating system with it regularly. These tools detect and remove threats before they can do any harm. 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.

Malicious SystemBC process ("wvrxp.exe") in Task Manager:

Update January 29, 2025 – new variant of SystemBC malware that targets Linux operating systems has been discovered. This version is specifically designed to move stealthily through corporate networks. SystemBC allows lateral movement throughout the infected network with a strong emphasis on stealth.

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

No, it is not necessary to do so. Malware like SystemBC can be removed without formatting.

What are the biggest issues that malware can cause?

Malware can encrypt files, allow cybercriminals to steal identities, money, and online accounts, infect computers with more malware, add computers to botnets, mine cryptocurrency, etc.

What is the purpose of SystemBC malware?

This malware helps DanaBot, Amadey, and other malware to avoid antivirus detection. It is used as part of malware attacks.

How did a malware infiltrate my computer?

It is known that SystemBC is distributed using RIG and Fallout exploit kits. Cybercriminals use these kits to initiate exploits against vulnerable software installed on computers. In other cases, malware is distributed via email (via links or attachments sent via email), unreliable sources for downloading software, fake installers for pirated software, fake updaters, etc.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate almost all known malware. It offers quick and full antivirus scan options. It is required to run a full scan to detect high-end malware since malware of this kind usually hides deep in the system.