How to eliminate Aurora malware from the operating system

What is kind of malware is Aurora?

Our research team discovered the Aurora malware while looking through hacker forums. Its developers advertise Aurora as a multifunctional piece of malicious software. The program's promotional material states that it operates as a RAT (Remote Access Trojan), botnet, stealer, clipper, and data-encrypting ransomware.

Aurora malware overview

The developers of Aurora offer it for sale and promote this program as highly versatile. To provide a brief overview of the promised features, Aurora is stated to have RAT (Remote Access Trojan) functionality. Malware within this classification is designed to enable remote access and control over infected machines. RATs are typically capable of executing various commands, as well as managing system/user files and data, and installed applications.

Malicious software that operates as a botnet can link up a host of infected systems and use them for malicious purposes such as launching DDoS attacks, sending spam, and so on.

Aurora also has stealer capabilities - meaning that it can extract information from the system and installed apps. Stealers often target browsers, email clients, messengers, cryptocurrency wallets, FTPs, password managers, VPNs, gaming-related software, and so forth.

Aurora's promotional material does list the ability to extract passwords and steal cryptowallets. In addition to this data, information-stealing malware usually targets personally identifiable details, IP addresses (geolocations), browsing and search engine histories, finance-related data (e.g., online bank account log-in credentials, credit card numbers, etc.), and so on.

Aurora also works as a clipper - a type of program that can detect and replace data copied into the clipboard (copy-paste buffer). In most cases, clippers are used to replace cryptowallet addresses prior to outgoing transactions - so that the transferred funds would be redirected to wallets owned by the cyber criminals.

The program's developers state to have added an encryption functionality to it. Hence, Aurora might be used as ransomware, i.e., to encrypt victims' files and make ransom demands for the decryption.

To summarize, Aurora infections may lead to severe privacy issues, permanent data loss, significant financial losses, and identity theft. If you suspect that your system is infected with Aurora (or other malware) - we highly recommend using an anti-virus to remove it immediately.

Similar malware examples

We have analyzed thousands of malware samples. This software can have various features, which can be in different combinations.

To provide some examples of malware that shares functionalities with Aurora: VileRAT, Woody, and ApolloRAT are remote access trojans (RATs); Eternity, DarkIRC, Imperium Metamorpher - botnet creators; Lumma, Erbium, Luca - stealers; Paradies, Keona, Allcome - clippers; Qqjj, Donkeyf*cker, and AndreiHelp - ransomware.

Regardless of how malicious software operates - its presence on a system endangers device integrity and user safety. Therefore, all threats must be removed immediately upon detection.

How did Aurora infiltrate my computer?

Since Aurora is offered for sale - how it is distributed depends on the cyber criminals using it at the time. Malware is primarily spread using phishing and social engineering tactics.

Virulent files can be archives, executables, PDF and Microsoft Office documents, JavaScript, etc. Once such a file is executed, run, or otherwise opened - the infection chain is triggered. Malicious software is typically presented as or bundled with ordinary programs/media.

The most common proliferation methods include: drive-by (stealthy and deceptive) downloads, online scams, malicious attachments and links in spam emails/messages, dubious download channels (e.g., unofficial and freeware sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.), illegal program activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly recommend downloading only from official and verified sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and fake updates can contain malware.

We advise against opening the attachments and links present in suspicious/irrelevant emails and messages since that may result in a system infection.

We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. This software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats and issues. 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.

Screenshots of Aurora malware's admin panel:

Screenshot of Aurora malware offered for sale on a hacker forum:

Update November 23, 2022 - The Aurora malware has been promoted since April 2022. However, after first few months of the release there was a significant decrease in the amount of Aurora sample's being submitted to malware databases. This indicates that the activity had slowed down. However, hundreds of new samples have been detected in October and November, which means that Aurora is "back into the wild". There are at least 7 known malware distribution teams that take part in spreading Aurora: RavenLogs, BrazzersLogs, DevilsTraff, YungRussia, Gfbg6, SAKURA and HellRide. You can find more information about Aurora's recent activity in this article published by SEKOIA.IO.

Screenshot of BrazzersLogs team's post in hacker forum claiming that Aurora malware is now available in their arsenal:

Screenshot of a fake nVidia Geforce driver download website (nvidio-geforce[.]site) spreading Aurora malware:

Update April 20, 2023 - Aurora malware has been found to be disseminated through YouTube videos and fake software download websites designed to boost search engine optimization (SEO tags are employed to enhance the ranking of videos in search results). Victims are lured into downloading the malware from counterfeit websites by clicking on links found in YouTube video descriptions, which appear to be legitimate utilities.

The threat actors are leveraging a service that allows them to produce counterfeit websites resembling authentic ones, utilizing comparable URLs, logos, and branding to give the impression of legitimacy. Upon visiting these fake websites, users are tempted to download an application containing malware or provide sensitive personal information to the decoy site.

Update May 25, 2023 - Malicious actors now employ deceptive advertisements to redirect users to a fraudulent Windows security update. The scheme is carefully crafted, utilizing a web browser to display a convincing full-screen animation resembling an official Microsoft update.

The fake security update utilizes a newly discovered loader that evades detection by most antivirus software and malware sandboxes. The payload of the loader has been identified as the Aurora stealer.

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

Most malicious programs can be removed without resorting to such drastic measures.

What are the biggest issues that Aurora malware can cause?

The threats posed by a malicious program depend on its functionalities and the cyber criminals' aims. Aurora is promoted as a multifunctional malware capable of creating botnets, stealing data, enabling remote access/control over devices, replacing clipboard data, and encrypting data. Therefore, Aurora infections may result in serious privacy issues, permanent data loss, financial losses, and identity theft.

What is the purpose of Aurora malware?

Most malicious programs are used to generate revenue. However, they may also be used to amuse the attackers or disrupt processes (e.g., websites, services, companies, organizations, etc.). Malware attacks can also be motivated by personal vendettas or political/geopolitical reasons.

How did Aurora malware infiltrate my computer?

Malware is mainly spread through drive-by downloads, spam emails and messages, online scams, dubious download channels (e.g., unofficial and freeware websites, P2P sharing networks, etc.), illegal program activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates. Furthermore, some malicious programs can self-proliferate via local networks and removable storage devices (e.g., USB flash drives, external hard drives, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating practically all known malware infections. It is noteworthy that high-end malware tends to hide deep within systems - therefore, running a full system scan is crucial.