How to uninstall RedLine Stealer from your computer

What kind of malware is RedLine Stealer?

RedLine Stealer (also known as RedLine) is a malicious program which can be purchased on hacker forums for $150/$200 depending on the version. It can be used to steal information and infect operating systems with other malware.

Generally, cyber criminals attempt to infect computers with malicious software such as RedLine Stealer to generate revenue by misusing accessed (stolen) details and/or by infecting systems with other software of this type to achieve the same purpose. If there is any reason to suspect that your computer is infected with RedLine Stealer, remove it immediately.

RedLine Stealer in detail

RedLine Stealer is capable of gathering information such as logins, passwords, autofill data, cookies and credit card details from all Gecko-based and Chromium-based web browsers. Cyber criminals can misuse this information to access various accounts (e.g., social media, email, banking-related accounts, cryptocurrency wallets).

The list of wallets targeted by RedLine stealer includes Armory, AtomicWallet, BitcoinCore, Bytecoin, DashCore, Electrum, Ethereum, LitecoinCore, Monero, Exodus, Zcash, and Jaxx. Targeted VPN clients are ProtonVPN, OpenVPN, and NordVPN.

Threat actiors can use the collected data and stolen accounts to proliferate malware, spam campaigns, make fraudulent transactions and purchases, deceive other people into transferring money, steal identities, and so on. RedLine Stealer can collect data from various FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and IM (Instant Messaging) clients and grab files stored on the infected computers.

Furthermore, it is capable of collecting system information such as IP addresses, usernames, keyboard layouts, UAC settings, installed security solutions, and other details. This malicious program can be used to infect computers with other malware (download and execute malicious files).

Therefore, cyber criminals can use RedLine Stealer to distribute ransomware, Trojans, cryptocurrency miners, Remote Access/Administration Trojans (RATs) and so on.

More about malware that can be distirbuted using RedLine Stealer

Ransomware-type programs encrypt files (cause data loss), Trojans can cause chain infections (install other malware), cryptocurrency miners use computer hardware to mine cryptocurrency, and RATs allow criminals to take control over the infected computer and perform dangerous tasks.

In summary, RedLine Stealer victims can suffer financial, data loss, become victims of identity theft, experience problems with privacy, and other serious issues. Therefore, if RedLine Stealer is installed on your computer, it must be uninstalled immediately.

Most information stealers in general

Some examples of other malware programs similar to RedLine Stealer include CStealer, Masad and Krypton. In most cases, these programs are capable of accessing (collecting) various sensitive, confidential information (logins, passwords, credit card details, etc.), which cyber criminals misuse to generate as much revenue as possible.

Having this software installed on your computer can lead to serious issues. Therefore, to avoid installation, take the necessary precautions detailed below.

How did RedLine Stealer infiltrate my computer?

It is known that there have been attacks carried out through website links presented in the description of YouTube videos that supposedly promote a cheating tool for the Valorant game. Computers got infected after executing a malicious file extracted from an archive file downloaded via the aforementioned website links.

In other cases, cybercriminals proliferate malicious programs through spam campaigns (emails), Trojans, dubious software download channels, unofficial activation tools and fake updaters. They attempt to proliferate malware by sending emails that contain malicious attachments (or web links that lead to download of malicious files).

Cyber criminals usually attach Microsoft Office, PDF documents, archive files (RAR, ZIP), executable files (.exe and others) and JavaScript files. If opened, the attached files install malicious software. Trojans often proliferate and install other malware and cause chain infections, however, they must first be installed.

Untrustworthy download sources/channels are used to trick users into installing malware by disguising hosted, uploaded malicious files as harmless and regular. When downloaded and opened/executed, however, the files cause installation of malware.

Some examples of the download channels often used to proliferate malicious programs are free file hosting, freeware download websites, unofficial sites, Peer-to-Peer networks (e.g., torrent clients, eMule) and third party downloaders. Unofficial activation tools supposedly activate licensed software free of charge (bypass its activation), however, they often install malware instead.

Fake software update tools cause damage by installing malicious software rather than updates or exploiting bugs/flaws of outdated software that is installed on the operating system.

How to avoid installation of malware

Software and files should not be downloaded or installed through third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks or the other channels/tools mentioned above. Downloaded only from official websites and via direct links. Irrelevant emails that are received from unknown, suspicious addresses and contain attachments/links should not be trusted (do not open the contents).

Installed software must be updated and activated through tools or functions that are designed by official developers. Third party, unofficial tools are often used to proliferate malicious software. Furthermore, it is illegal to bypass activation of licensed software with unofficial activation ('cracking') tools.

Operating systems should be regularly scanned fo threats with reputable antivirus or anti-spyware software. Keep this software 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.

RedLine Stealer running in Task Manager as "AddInProcess.exe":

Update 20 March 2020 - Cyber criminals have recently started a new spam email campaign to distribute RedLine Stealer. They send thousands of deceptive emails asking for help to perform medical research relating to the coronavirus.

They ask users to install software that will supposedly use the recipient's computer to perform various calculations and, thus, help the researchers. The app they encourage users to install is called Folding@home.

This application exists and is legitimate, however, this spam campaign is a deception - rather than installing the Folding@home application, criminals inject RedLine Stealer into the system. You can find more details in Lawrence Abram's article posted in Bleeping Computer.

Appearance of a spam email used to distribute RedLine Stealer by disguising it as the Folding@home application:

Text presented within this email:

Subject: Please help us Fighting corona-virus

Greetings from Mobility Research Inc  and Folding@Thome As we all know, recently corona-virus is becoming a major threat to the human society. We are a leading institution working on the cure to solve this world-wide crisis. However, we need your help. With your contribution, you can speed up our process of finding the cure. The process is very simple, you will need to install an app on your computer, which will allow us to use it to run simulations of the cure. The process is very simple, you will need to install an app on your computer, which allow us to use it to run simulations of the cure. This is totally controllable by you and you can be switched on/off when you are comfortable to. This will greatly help us and perhaps stop the corona-virus before it is too late.
Thank you, your Mobility Research Inc  and Folding@Thome

If you would like to read more about our organisation, click here:

Folding@Thome

Appearance of a scam website (mydigitalcoin.info) used to promote RedLine Stealer (the page offers 200000 satoshi for the installation):

Text presented within:

BITCOINFREE
Faucet
Affiliate
Login
Sign Up
Get your free Free BitcoinBitcoin!
This page is not available for collecting satoshi
because you do not have our advertising extension installed

You will get:
200000 satoshi

Install Chrome Extension
Our plugin is completely safe and installs in your browser,
thanks to which you can collect satoshi every 5 minutes.

Update 3 November 2020 - It is known that cyber criminals now use fake Inno Setup installers for TeamViewer to distribute RedLine stealer. Those installers are designed to execute the "wmiprvse.exe" file, which loads the malicious "msi.dll" that contacts the malicious URL that hosts the RedLine password stealer malware.

Examples of fake cryptocurrency applications used to disguise RedLine Stealer malware:

Example 1:

Example 2:

Update 9 November 2021 - Now RedLine stealer poses as LastPass, a legitimate password manager. There is a fake LastPass download page used to distribute an ISO file containing a file that starts the infection chain leading to the injection of the RedLine stealer.

The latest RedLine stealer version now has additional capabilities. It collects more general information (like Zip code, time zone, city, installed hardware), scans the system for running processes, installed browsers, FTP connections, and other data. Also, it checks for Discord, VPN, Steam, Telegram, and other clients, crypto wallets.

Update 16 March 2022 - Threat actors are using YouTube to distribute RedLine stealer. They upload Valorant game videos with a website link in their description. That link supposedly downloads an auto-aiming bot. In reality, it downloads a malicious archive file containing a malicious executable file designed to infect computers with the RedLine stealer.

Screenshot of a fake MSI Afterburner download website spreading RedLine stealer (there are at least two identical sites - afterburners-msi[.]]com and afterburner-download[.]org):

Cyber criminals are spreading RedLine Stealer via fake Express VPN websites, which all look exactly the same, even though the URLs are different.

The list of URLs includes:

• express-vpns[.]biz
• express-vpns[.]cloud
• express-vpns[.]fun
• express-vpns[.]online
• express-vpns[.]pro
• express-vpns[.]xyz

Screenshot of the fake Express VPN website:

Screenshot of a fake AnyDesk download website (anydesk24[.]com) used to spread RedLine stealer:

Screenshot of a malicious MS OneNote document spreading RedLine Stealer malware:

Update 17 March, 2023 - Cyber criminals have recently started a new Adobe Acrobat Sign-themed spam campaign to spread RedLine Stealer. The entire campaign is rather sophisticated, since cyber criminals abuse the legitimate Adobe services in order to create the impression of legitimacy. More details can be found in Avast's article.

Screenshot of an Adobe Acrobat Sign-themed spam email spreading RedLine Stealer:

Text presented within:

Signature requested on "Copyright infringement report #3047"

 

Adobe Acrobat Sign

UK Copyright Service - Content Protection requestes your signature on
Copyright infringement report #3047
Review and sign

Notice of Copyright Infringement:
Request for Removal of Infringing Material.

UK COPYRIGHT SERVICE - CONTENT PROTECTION

check@9music.company

After you sign Copyright infringement report #3047, all parties will receive a final PDF copy by email

Screenshot of a deceptive website (pdfconvertercompare[.]com) used to promote RedLine Stealer by presenting it as a PDF converter:

Update 30 April, 2024: Recently, a new version of the Redline Stealer has been discovered. This new version uses Lua bytecode to hide its code. This technique makes detection more difficult, as security tools do not always thoroughly analyze Lua (they tend to fail to detect malware hidden using Lua). The new malware version was discovered on GitHub, posing as a zip file named Cheat.Lab.2.7.2.zip.

When the installer containing malware is executed, it creates scheduled tasks and establishes persistence by copying itself to hidden folders. it is worth noting that the distribution through GitHub enables cybercriminals to reach more targets due to the platform's wide use.

Update 29 October, 2024: The Dutch National Police have disrupted the operations of Redline and MetaStealer in Operation Magnus. This operation involved collaboration with the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies and resulted in the seizure of network infrastructure linked to these malware operations.

On October 28, 2024, authorities announced that they had access to critical data, including user credentials and IP addresses, which could be used to track down the cybercriminals involved. They also accessed the source code and other components for both malware types. Redline and Meta were reportedly sold through Telegram bots, but they have since been removed.

Update August 31, 2026 - Anthropic has confirmed that RedLine Stealer is among the infostealer malware families being used to steal Claude AI platform login sessions. By harvesting browser session cookies, attackers can access victims' Claude accounts without needing a password or two-factor authentication code, then consume the victim's usage allowance or API credits. Anthropic is revoking the compromised sessions and processing refunds for unauthorized charges. (source: bleepingcomputer.com).

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

---

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

---

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

---

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

---

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

There is no need to format the storage device to eliminate malware like RedLine stealer. It can be removed without formatting.

What are the biggest issues that malware can cause?

Data and financial loss, identity theft, loss of personal (social media, banking, and other) accounts, hardware overheat, etc.

What is the purpose of RedLine stealer malware?

RedLine stealer collects login credentials (usernames, email addresses, passwords, etc.), autofill data, cookies, credit card details from Gecko-based and Chromium-based web browsers. It also targets cryptocurrency wallets, FTP, VPN, messaging clients.

How did a malware infiltrate my computer?

Previously, this malware was distributed using malicious emails and fake Inno Setup installers for TeamViewer. Now they are uploading YouTube videos (related to Valorant game cheat/aiming-bot) with a malicious website link in their description. That link downloads an archive file containing an executable file designed to inject RedLine stealer. A computer gets infected after executing that malicious executable file.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove almost all known malware. It is important to know that computers infected with high-end malware must be scanned fully (using a full scan tool). High-end malware usually is hidden deep in the system, and running a quick scan is not enough to detect it.