How to remove PureLogs malware from a computer

What kind of malware is PureLogs?

While checking the VirusTotal page for recently submitted malware samples, we discovered an information stealer called PureLogs. Cybercriminals use malware of this type to steal sensitive data that can be monetized in one way or another. Typically, information-stealing malware runs silently in the background.

More about PureLogs

Threat actors use information stealers to obtain various types of data. They steal information from web browsers, installed apps (e.g., FTP and VPN clients, messengers, email clients, password managers), operating system, cryptocurrency wallets, and so forth. Also, they can be used to take capture screenshots.

The stealer possesses various features, including anti-VM, self-deletion, persistence, file grabbing, and file loading capabilities. Additionally, the malware is reported to target Chromium-based browsers, Discord data, as well as applications like FileZilla, Foxmail, InternetDownloadManager, OBS Studio, OpenVPN, Pidgin, ProtonVPN, Signal, Telegram, and WinSCP.

Furthermore, Pure Logs is capable of extracting data from Mozilla Firefox, Waterfox, K-Meleon, Thunderbird, Comodo IceDragon, and various other applications. Concerning cryptocurrency apps, Pure Logs allegedly pilfers information from a range of extensions, including:

BitApp Wallet, BitClip, BitKeep, Binance Chain Wallet, Braavos Smart Wallet, Coin98 Wallet, Coinbase Wallet, Cyano Wallet, EOS Authenticator, EQUAL Wallet, Exodus Web3, Finnie, GAuth Authenticator, Guarda Wallet, iWallet, Jaxx Liberty, Keplr, Liquality Wallet, Math Wallet, MetaMask, MOBOX WALLET, Nifty Wallet, Phantom, Rabet, Ronin Wallet, Solana Wallet, Swash, TezBox, Terra Station, Trust Wallet, Waves Keeper, Wombat, Yoroi, and ZilPay.

Most threat actors aim to steal sensitive data such as login information (usernames, passwords, etc.), autofill data, credit card details, ID card information, social security numbers, 2FA data, and more. They misuse extracted information to steal identities, online accounts, and money, to make fraudulent purchases, and for other malicious purposes.

It is important to mention that information-stealing malware like PureLogs can have a keylogger module. They can log all data typed with the keyboard (record keyboard input). Thus, having a computer infected with malware of this type can cause huge damage (mostly financial).

Examples of similar malware

Examples of different information stealers are Titan, Nosu, and Doenerium. It is common for them to be leased using the Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) model - their creators are selling them to other cybercriminals. Computers infected with information stealers should be scanned with antivirus software as soon as possible.

How did PureLogs infiltrate my computer?

PureLogs has been observed being delivered via email. Threat actors send emails containing malicious links to trick recipients into infecting their computers. The link in these emails downloads a ZIP file containing a malicious .bat file (with the ".pdf" extension in its filename). PureLogs gets downloaded after executing that .bat file.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Download software from official websites and stores. Avoid downloads from shady pages, P2P networks (e.g., torrent clients, eMule), third-party downloaders, free file hosting websites, etc. Double-check emails that have links or files in them. Avoid opening links or attachments in irrelevant emails from unknown addresses.

Do not trust advertisements on dubious pages (e.g., illegal movie streaming and torrent sites). Keep the operating system and installed software updated. Never use unofficial/third-party tools to update or activate any software.

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.

Email used to deliver PureLogs:

Text in this email:

Subject: Invio Nostra Fatt.nr. 378

Gentile cliente,
per visualizzare il nostro preventivo nr. IT8883 o per scaricarne una copia in versione PDF prema sul bottone sottostante.
Il file è protetto con una password di sicurezza.
La password per vedere la fattura è: 2022

Scarica documento

Cordiali saluti,

Update January 20, 2026: Cybercriminals have been observed delivering PureLogs via deceptive emails purporting to be legitimate invoices from a pharmaceutical company. These emails include a ZIP attachment containing a JavaScript dropper file, which, when run, executes a hidden PowerShell script that connects to a specified site to download seemingly legitimate and normal PNG image.

The attackers embed the malicious payload in the image, so the script extracts and decodes it in memory without ever writing to disk. This in-memory approach then loads further components and ultimately delivers the PureLogs infostealer onto the system, allowing it to bypass security checks.

Update May 27, 2026 - FortiGuard Labs researchers identified a new PureLogs Stealer campaign that spreads through phishing emails disguised as fake purchase orders. The emails carry RAR archive attachments containing malicious JavaScript files that, when opened, silently download and execute the stealer without writing files to disk. (source: infosecurity-magazine.com).

Update May 29, 2026 - Researchers have identified an updated PureLogs Stealer campaign that uses steganography to hide encrypted malware payloads inside ordinary-looking PNG image files. A separate loader component retrieves these images, extracts the hidden payload, and executes it entirely in memory, making the infection harder for security tools to detect.

This campaign spreads through phishing emails carrying TXZ archive attachments disguised as invoices. The updated variant also targets password managers such as Bitwarden, LastPass, and 1Password, and now steals from over 100 cryptocurrency wallet extensions, up from around 30 previously reported. (source: helpnetsecurity.com).

Update July 2, 2026 - Researchers have detailed a new delivery chain, dubbed VeilDrop, that installs PureLogs Stealer without ever saving it to disk. The infection starts with a file disguised as a PDF but actually named with a hidden .js extension, spread through compromised websites. Opening it triggers a chain of scripts that downloads further stages from Google's Blogger platform, taking advantage of its trusted reputation to slip past security filters. (source: securonix.com).

To avoid raising suspicion, the malware shows victims a decoy document while it installs in the background, and if its usual loading method is blocked, it falls back to running through legitimate Windows system tools. The entire process runs in memory, leaving little trace on the infected computer.

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

Most malicious programs can be removed with antivirus software. It is also possible to do it manually (see our removal guide above).

What are the biggest issues that malware can cause?

Usually, victims encounter issues such as stolen identities, money, online accounts, encrypted files, slower computer performance, and other problems.

What is the purpose of PureLogs malware?

PureLogs is an information stealer. It may be capable of stealing passwords, credit card details, and data from installed applications, capturing screenshots, logging keystrokes, and (or) performing other malicious activities.

How did PureLogs malware infiltrate my computer?

PureLogs is delivered via emails containing a malicious link designed to download a ZIP file. That ZIP file contains a .bat file that downloads PureLogs after executing it.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove almost all known malware. Since high-end malware often hides deep in the system, a full system scan must be performed to detect and eliminate it.