Removing Typhon (Reborn) stealer-type malware from your operating system

What is Typhon?

Typhon is a stealer-type malware written in the C# programming language. Newer versions of this program are called Typhon Reborn (TyphonReborn). Malware within this classification is designed to extract data from infected systems. The older variants of Typhon have a broader range of functionalities, while Typhon Reborn versions are streamlined stealers.

Typhon malware overview

Following successful infiltration, Typhon begins gathering relevant system data, e.g., hardware information (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery status), OS version, screen resolution, machine name, username, installed anti-virus, saved Wi-Fi passwords, running processes, etc.

This malware can also take screenshots and pictures via integrated/attached cameras. Typhon can download system and user files.

This stealer is capable of extracting a wide variety of data from various applications. It targets browsing histories, downloads, bookmarks, Internet cookies, usernames/passwords, and credit card numbers stored on browsers (full list). Additionally, Typhon attempts to extract data from messengers (e.g., usernames/passwords, tokens, sessions, etc.), VPNs, gaming software, and FTPs (full list).

The malicious program also tries to steal offline (cold) cryptocurrency wallets and crypto extensions for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers (full list).

The aforementioned features are typical for both old and new versions of Typhon. As mentioned in the introduction, the Typhon Reborn variants are simplified and efficient stealers, but the older iterations have varied functionalities.

Previous variants have a sophisticated keylogging (keystroke recording) ability, which is triggered whenever the victim accesses an online banking or adult-oriented website.

They also have clipper capabilities, i.e., detecting when a cryptocurrency wallet address is copied into the clipboard (copy-paste buffer) and pasting one owned by the attackers instead - thereby rerouting an outgoing transaction. These Typhon versions can identify and replace addresses associated with the following cryptocurrencies - Bitcoin, Ethereum, Monero, Stellar, Ripple, and Bitcoin cash.

Another functionality is crypto-mining which entails abusing system resources (potentially to the point of failure or permanent hardware damage) in order to generate cryptocurrency. These variants of Typhon can operate as worms and self-spread via Discord.

To summarize, the presence of software like Typhon on devices can result in severe privacy issues, significant financial losses, and identity theft.

If you suspect that your device is infected with Typhon (or other malware) - immediately use an anti-virus to eliminate it.

Stealer-type malware examples

We have analyzed thousands of malware samples; StrelaStealer, Medusa, Ducktail PHP stealer, CovalentStealer, and Icarus are merely some of our latest finds within the stealer category.

This software can target a wide array of information or very specific details. Furthermore, malware is often multifunctional. However, how malicious software operates is irrelevant as its presence endangers device integrity and user safety regardless. Therefore, we strongly recommend removing threats immediately upon detection.

How did Typhon infiltrate my computer?

Since Typhon's developers offer it for sale online - how it is proliferated depends on the cyber criminals using it at the time. Generally, this software is spread using phishing and social engineering tactics. Malicious programs are typically disguised as or bundled with ordinary content.

Virulent files can be Microsoft Office and PDF documents, archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth. When a malicious file is executed, run, or otherwise opened - the infection chain is triggered.

Malware is most commonly distributed through drive-by (stealthy/deceptive) downloads, malicious attachments/links in spam emails and messages, online scams, dubious download sources (e.g., unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.), illegal software activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly recommend downloading only from official and verified channels. Additionally, it is important to activate and update software using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updaters can contain malware.

We advise against opening the attachments and links present in suspicious mail, as they can be malicious and cause system infections. It is essential to be careful when browsing since illegitimate and dangerous online content usually appears harmless.

We must stress the importance of having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats/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.

Appearance of Typhon stealer being promoted on hacker forums (GIF):

List of browsers targeted by Typhon stealer:

Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, QIP surf, 7Star, Iridium, CentBrowser, Chedot, Vivaldi, Kometa, ElementsBrowser, Epic privacy browser, Uran, Coowon, Citrio, Liebao (Cheetah) browser, Orbitum, Comodo, Chromodo, Amigo, Torch, 360Browser, Maxthon3, K-Melon, Sputnik, Nichrome, Atom, Brave, Waterfox, Thunderbird, IceDragon, Cyberfox, Blackhawk.

List of messaging software targeted by Typhon stealer:

• Discord
• Telegram
• Pidgin
• qTox
• Element
• Signal
• Skype
• ICQ
• Outlook

List of VPNs targeted by Typhon stealer:

• NordVPN
• OpenVPN
• ProtonVPN

List of Gaming software targeted by Typhon stealer:

• Minecraft
• Steam
• Uplay

List of FTPs targeted by Typhon stealer:

• FileZilla
• WinSCP

List of "cold" cryptocurrency wallets targeted by Typhon stealer:

Armory, AtomicWallet, Bitcoin, Bytecoin, Coinomi, Dash, Electrum, Ethereum, Exodus, Guarda, Litecoin, Zcash.

Update 8 May 2023 - The most recent iteration of the malware boasts a refactored codebase that has significantly enhanced its existing capabilities. The developer claims that the new Typhon stealer has more advanced anti-analysis and anti-virtualization capabilities. It is probable that this malware will be utilized in forthcoming attacks.

Furthermore, the developer has implemented several alterations to the logic that prevent the malware from infecting systems that meet specific predetermined criteria. This includes significantly expanding the list of criteria to include present usernames, CPUIDs, applications, and processes that are running on the system, as well as checks for debugger/emulation and geolocation data for countries that attackers may prefer to avoid.

Moreover, it seems that the developer has eliminated the feature that ensures the malware's persistence across system reboots. Instead, V2 simply terminates itself once it has completed its task of data exfiltration.

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

---

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

No, Typhon's removal does not require formatting.

What are the biggest issues that Typhon malware can cause?

The threats posed by malware depend on the program's capabilities and the cyber criminals' goals. Typhon and its newer versions (Typhon Reborn) operate as stealers - data-stealing malware that can extract sensitive data from infected devices. Hence, their infections can cause severe privacy issues, significant financial losses, and identity theft.

However, older variants also have clipper, cryptominer, and worm functionalities - which can cause seriously decreased system performance or failure, permanent data loss, and hardware damage.

What is the purpose of Typhon malware?

Typically, malware is employed to generate revenue. However, cyber criminals can also use this software to amuse themselves, carry out personal vendettas, disrupt processes (e.g., websites, services, etc.), and even launch politically/geopolitically motivated attacks.

How did Typhon malware infiltrate my computer?

Malware is primarily distributed via online scams, drive-by downloads, spam emails and messages, dubious download channels (e.g., unofficial and free file-hosting websites, P2P sharing networks, etc.), 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., USB flash drives, external hard drives, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate most of the known malware infections. It must be emphasized that since sophisticated malicious software hides deep within systems, performing a complete system scan is paramount.