How to uninstall Urelas from your computer
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Urelas?
Urelas is the name of a malicious program, which is also known as Glupboot. Cyber criminals proliferate this malware to monitor specific card game applications, control their processes, infect systems with other software of this kind, and gather various information.
If you believe that your computer might be infected with Urelas/Glupboot, remove this malicious software immediately. Research shows that Urelas might be disguised as software relating to a card game.
As mentioned, the cyber criminals behind Urelas target certain card game applications. They use this malware to monitor gaming activity by taking screenshots in JPG, TIFF or BMP format and sending the images to a remote server controlled by them.
Urelas can also be used to steal information such as computer name, login credentials, and other details, and also to make system changes, modify Windows Registry and infect the operating system with other malware.
Therefore, cyber criminals can use Urelas to infect computers with malicious software such as ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, Remote Access Trojans (RATs) or other rogue programs. Ransomware is software that encrypts files and keep them inaccessible until victims decrypt them with tools/keys that can be purchased only from the developers.
Typically, victims of ransomware attacks lose data and/or money. Cryptocurrency miners are programs that use computer hardware to solve mathematical problems (mine cryptocurrency). In summary, cyber criminals who proliferate these programs attempt to use computers of their victims to generate revenue.
Having a cryptocurrency miner installed on the operating system can cause problems such as hardware overheating, unexpected shutdowns, reduced computer performance, higher electricity bills, and other issues. RATs are malicious programs that are used to remotely control infected computers.
Typically, RATs can record keystrokes, download and install other malware, steal logins, passwords (and other sensitive information), take screenshots, and perform other such actions.
In summary, people who have Urelas installed on operating systems might become victims of identity theft, have their computers infected with malware, lose data and money, experience problems relating to privacy, browsing safety, etc. Therefore, this malware should be uninstalled from the operating system immediately.
| Name | Glupboot virus |
| Threat Type | Password-stealing virus, information stealer, malware loader. |
| Detection Names | Avast (Win32:Dropper-gen [Drp]), BitDefender (Trojan.GenericKD.31059272), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/Urelas.W), Kaspersky (Trojan-Ransom.Win32.GenericCryptor.czx), Full List (VirusTotal) |
| Malicious Process Name(s) | xoemp.exe (its name may vary) |
| Symptoms | Malicious programs are often designed to stealthily infiltrate the victim's computer and remain silent, and thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine. |
| Distribution methods | Infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software 'cracks'. |
| Damage | Stolen passwords and banking information, identity theft, the victim's computer added to a botnet. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
More examples of malicious programs that are used to infect systems with other malware, steal information and perform other such tasks include Borr, GrandSteal and Vidar.
In most cases, cyber criminals proliferate malicious software to generate revenue in various ways (using computers to mine cryptocurrency, stealing personal information, forcing victims to pay a ransom in return for software that will supposedly decrypt their files, and so on).
How did Urelas infiltrate my computer?
Cyber criminals often send emails that contain malicious attachments (or website links that download malicious files) and attempt to trick recipients into opening them. If opened, the files cause installation of malware.
Examples of files that cyber criminals attach to their emails are Microsoft Office, PDF documents, executable files such as .exe, archive files such as ZIP, RAR and JavaScript files. Attempts to activate software via 'cracking' (unofficial activation) tools can lead to installation of malicious programs.
Typically, people use these tools when they seek to bypass activation of licensed software, however, cracks often infect systems with malicious software. Trojans are rogue programs that cause chain infections - they install other software of this kind.
Peer-to-Peer networks (e.g., torrent clients, eMule), third party downloaders, installers, freeware download websites, free file hosting websites and other tools can host malicious files. Cyber criminals tend to disguise the files as legitimate and harmless. People who open files that were downloaded through these sources often install malicious software onto their systems.
Fake software updating tools infect computers by exploiting bugs/flaws of outdated software that is installed on the operating system, or by installing malicious programs rather than the updates/fixes.
How to avoid installation of malware
Software should be downloaded only from official websites and through direct links. Other sources and channels (mentioned in the paragraph above) should not be used - cyber criminals often employ them to host malicious files and proliferate malware.
Operating systems and installed programs must be updated through implemented functions or tools designed by the official developers. Unofficial activation ('cracking') tools can infect systems with malware. Furthermore, it is illegal to activate licensed programs with tools of this type.
Attachments and/or links in irrelevant emails that were received from suspicious, unknown addresses should not be opened. These emails could be sent by cyber criminals who seek to trick recipients into installing malware. Note that they often disguise their emails as important and official.
Keep the operating system safe by regularly scanning it with reputable antivirus or anti-spyware software, which should be kept up to date. 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.
Urelas malicious process running in Task Manager as "xoemp.exe":
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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How to remove malware manually?
Manual malware removal is a complicated task - usually it is best to allow antivirus or anti-malware programs to do this automatically.
To remove this malware we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. If you wish to remove malware manually, the first step is to identify the name of the malware that you are trying to remove. Here is an example of a suspicious program running on a user's computer:
If you checked the list of programs running on your computer, for example, using task manager, and identified a program that looks suspicious, you should continue with these steps:
Download a program called Autoruns. This program shows auto-start applications, Registry, and file system locations:
Restart your computer into Safe Mode:
Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Start your computer in Safe Mode. Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, click OK. During your computer start process, press the F8 key on your keyboard multiple times until you see the Windows Advanced Option menu, and then select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Video showing how to start Windows 7 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Windows 8 users: Start Windows 8 is Safe Mode with Networking - Go to Windows 8 Start Screen, type Advanced, in the search results select Settings. Click Advanced startup options, in the opened "General PC Settings" window, select Advanced startup.
Click the "Restart now" button. Your computer will now restart into the "Advanced Startup options menu". Click the "Troubleshoot" button, and then click the "Advanced options" button. In the advanced option screen, click "Startup settings". Click the "Restart" button. Your PC will restart into the Startup Settings screen. Press F5 to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
Video showing how to start Windows 8 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Windows 10 users: Click the Windows logo and select the Power icon. In the opened menu click "Restart" while holding "Shift" button on your keyboard. In the "choose an option" window click on the "Troubleshoot", next select "Advanced options". In the advanced options menu select "Startup Settings" and click on the "Restart" button.
In the following window you should click the "F5" button on your keyboard. This will restart your operating system in safe mode with networking.
Video showing how to start Windows 10 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Extract the downloaded archive and run the Autoruns.exe file.
In the Autoruns application, click "Options" at the top and uncheck "Hide Empty Locations" and "Hide Windows Entries" options. After this procedure, click the "Refresh" icon.
Check the list provided by the Autoruns application and locate the malware file that you want to eliminate.
You should write down its full path and name. Note that some malware hides process names under legitimate Windows process names. At this stage, it is very important to avoid removing system files. After you locate the suspicious program you wish to remove, right click your mouse over its name and choose "Delete".
After removing the malware through the Autoruns application (this ensures that the malware will not run automatically on the next system startup), you should search for the malware name on your computer. Be sure to enable hidden files and folders before proceeding. If you find the filename of the malware, be sure to remove it.
Reboot your computer in normal mode. Following these steps should remove any malware from your computer. Note that manual threat removal requires advanced computer skills. If you do not have these skills, leave malware removal to antivirus and anti-malware programs.
These steps might not work with advanced malware infections. As always it is best to prevent infection than try to remove malware later. To keep your computer safe, install the latest operating system updates and use antivirus software.
To be sure your computer is free of malware infections, we recommend scanning it with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
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