How to remove malware disguised as ChatGPT from your operating system

What is ChatGPT malware?

"ChatGPT malware" refers to malicious content distributed under the guise of ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) – a chatbot developed by OpenAI. Since its inception in the autumn of 2022, ChatGPT has reached extreme popularity. At the time of writing, its user base has grown over 100 million. It is particularly prevalent that any enormously popular product/service is swiftly taken advantage of by cyber criminals and scammers alike.

Although ChatGPT is only available online (chat.openai.com), numerous fake desktop clients and mobile apps imitating this chatbot have been discovered. A variety of harmful and malicious software has been proliferated using "ChatGPT" as a disguise.

Additionally, OpenAI has released ChatGPT Plus – a paid premium service. This has opened the avenue for cyber criminals to offer "cracked" versions and create fake payment websites that target victims' financial information.

It must be emphasized that this fraudulent and dangerous content is in no way associated with either the actual ChatGPT or OpenAI.

ChatGPT malware overview

At the time of writing, ChatGPT is exclusively an online tool – hence, there are no desktop or mobile applications available. However, over 50 "ChatGPT" apps have been discovered in the wild. Promoted on fraudulent ChatGPT/OpenAI Facebook pages, malicious websites, Google Play, and third-party Android stores – the applications include a variety of dubious and virulent content (e.g., adware, PUAs, trojans, etc.).

Fake ChatGPTs have been observed proliferating the following stealer-type malware for the Windows OS – Aurora, Lumma, and RedLine. There have also been instances where this fraudulent content distributed clipper-type malware (programs capable of replacing clipboard content). The bogus Android applications spread Toll Fraud malware and the SpyMax spyware.

To summarize, the presence of an illegitimate ChatGPT app on a device could result in encounters with questionable/malicious ads or redirects, browsing activity tracking, data loss, severe privacy issues, significant financial losses, and identity theft.

Furthermore, since the creation of ChatGPT Plus – a premium service based on a monthly subscription, cyber criminals have started promoting fake payment sites for this service. The sites (regardless of whether used to proliferate malware or collect sensitive data) can perfectly mimic the graphics used by ChatGPT's official website (chat.openai.com) and use typosquatting techniques to get the URLs as close to the original as possible.

The discovered phishing sites target users' credit card information (e.g., names, card numbers, expiration dates, CVVs, etc.), which can then be used by the scammers to make unauthorized online purchases or perform other credit card related fraud.

Due to the prevalence of fake ChatGPT content, we strongly recommend caution. Therefore, pay attention to URLs and enter them with care; do not trust offers that sound too good to be true, and do not download/install software promoted by suspicious sources.

Examples of legitimate content use for scam/malware promotion

Cyber criminals often employ the names, icons, and other content associated with legitimate products and services for nefarious purposes.

Some examples of this include: Zoom – videoconferencing software, Coinbase – cryptocurrency wallet, AVG AntiVirus – security software, Google Translate – online text translation service, PayPal – online money transferring service (fake account checker), and so forth.

Abusing genuine content in this manner is lucrative, as popular products/services are desirable and recognizable. Additionally, surface-level research on the potential victims' part would only lead them to sources confirming the legitimacy of the content.

How did I encounter fake ChatGPT content?

Malicious/Phishing sites have been observed being promoted by illegitimate Facebook pages masquerading as ChatGPT's official account. These pages may appear legitimate due to the amount of content and posts available on them. Furthermore, the malignant websites they endorse can closely mimic ChatGPT's official site's design and URL.

In addition to such websites, fake ChatGPT Android applications were discovered on the Google Play Store and various third-party app stores. While Google Play is a legitimate app distribution platform, it is not invulnerable to cyber abuse. The review teams can be swift in removing untrustworthy/malicious content, but this does not deter cyber criminals – since hosting their programs on genuine platforms, even for a short while, can be worth it.

It must be mentioned that fake ChatGPT sites and software can be endorsed using other methods as well. Deceptive/malicious webpages can also be accessed via spam mail, sites that use rogue advertising networks, mistyped URLs, spam browser notifications, intrusive ads, and through redirects caused by adware.

Unwanted software and malware are commonly spread via drive-by downloads, online scams, malicious attachments/links in spam mail (e.g., emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, etc.), malvertising, dubious download channels (e.g., freeware and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.), pirated programs and illegal activation ("cracking") tools, fake updaters, and bundled installers.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend being careful when browsing since fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and harmless. Pay attention to URLs and enter them with care; do not click untrusted links. Ignore or deny notification delivery requests from questionable websites, i.e., do not click "Allow", "Allow Notifications", or any similar options.

Another recommendation is to always research software by reading terms and expert/user reviews, checking necessary permissions and other conditions, verifying developer legitimacy, etc. Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy sources.

We advise activating and updating programs using only genuine functions/tools, as those acquired from third-parties can contain malware.

Approach incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages with caution. The attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be infectious.

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

Fake ChatGPT Facebook page promoting deceptive/malicious websites (image source – Cyble):

Fake ChatGPT payment website used for phishing purposes:

Update June 29, 2023 – Since 2022, within the span of a year, more than one hundred thousand ChatGPT accounts have been hijacked via data-stealing malware. This activity has been noted across the globe; however, the Asia Pacific region has been the most targeted – with over forty thousand user accounts stolen.

The potential misuse of the compromised ChatGPT accounts can be varied, but cyber criminals are most likely targeting business-related information since the service has become popular in various industries and spheres. While disabling ChatGPT's ability to save conversations can minimize the potential risks, that does not offer protection against malware capable of keylogging or taking screenshots.

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)

What is "ChatGPT malware"?

"ChatGPT malware" refers to fake websites and software disguised as content related to the ChatGPT chatbot. This includes (but is not limited to) fake: social media accounts, payment webpages for premium ChatGPT services, desktop programs, Android apps, etc.

What is the purpose of fake ChatGPT content?

The unauthorized use of names, logos, and other content associated with ChatGPT – is employed to lure users into falling victim to scams. Cyber criminals usually aim to generate revenue at victims' expense. In the case of fake ChatGPT content, criminals may profit by tricking users into paying for bogus services, disclosing their financial information (e.g., credit card details, etc.), downloading/installing malware, and so on.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by a fake ChatGPT website, what should I do?

If you have provided personally identifiable or finance related information (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities. And if you believe that your online accounts are at risk – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay.

What are the biggest issues that ChatGPT malware can cause?

The threats posed by an infection depend on the malware's abilities and the cyber criminals' goals. Fake ChatGPT content has been observed being used to proliferate the following Windows malware – Aurora, Lumma, RedLine, and clipper-type programs. The distributed Android malware includes Toll Fraud malware and SpyMax. However, this deceptive content may be used to spread other types of malicious software as well.

As previously mentioned, the dangers associated with an infection can vary. Generally, the presence of malware on a device may result in decreased system performance or failure, multiple system infections, data loss, serious privacy issues, hardware damage, financial losses, and identity theft.

How did I encounter fake ChatGPT content?

Fake ChatGPT websites have been noted being endorsed by likewise illegitimate ChatGPT Facebook accounts. Additionally, bogus ChatGPT mobile apps were detected on the Google Play Store and various third-party Android app stores. However, other promotional methods may also be in use.

Deceptive sites are often accessed via redirects caused by misspelled URLs, spam browser notifications, intrusive ads, webpages using rogue advertising networks, and installed adware.

While malware and other harmful software are primarily distributed through drive-by downloads, online scams, spam emails/messages, untrustworthy download sources (e.g., freeware and third-party sites, P2P sharing networks, etc.), illegal software activation tools ("cracks"), fake updates, and malvertising.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from scams and remove malware from my computer?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to protect computers from all manner of threats. It can detect and restrict further access to rogue, deceptive/scam, and malicious websites. It is also capable of removing unwanted and malicious software. Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate nearly all known malware infections. Keep in mind that since sophisticated malware usually hides deep within computers – performing a full system scan is essential.