How to remove FakeBat malware loader from the operating system

What kind of malware is FakeBat?

FakeBat (also known as EugenLoader) is a malicious software loader and dropper that has emerged as a significant player in the world of cyber threats. FakeBat has been associated with malvertising campaigns since at least November 2022.

Although the specific payload delivered by FakeBat in these campaigns is unknown, this loader has been noticed distributing well-known infostealers like Redline, Ursnif, and Rhadamathys.

More about FakeBat

A Google Ads campaign was found promoting a fake KeePass download site using Punycode to look like the real KeePass website. This was used to spread FakeBat. Google has been fighting against malicious ads appearing at the top of search results. Even trickier is that Google Ads can display the actual Keepass domain, making it hard to spot the threat.

Clicking on the bad link takes users to a fake KeePass site using Punycode in the URL. This trick has been used to make the site look like the real one. If users click on download links on the fake site, it puts harmful software on their computers.

This type of trick is not new, but using it with Google Ads is a dangerous new trend. Bad actors use Punycode to register web addresses that look like real ones with small changes. This is known as a "homograph attack".

For example, they use Punycode to make xn—eepass-vbb[.]info look like ķeepass[.]info, but with a subtle variation beneath the character "k". Most people do not notice this small difference. It is important to note that cybercriminals using a fake KeePass download site also used fake WinSCP and PyCharm Professional pages.

As previously mentioned, this campaign aims to deliver FakeBat, which drops its malicious payload. It is known that FakeBat was used to infect computers with Redline, Ursniff, Rhadamathys, and possibly other information stealers.

Information stealers are specifically designed to steal data. This can include a wide range of information, such as login credentials, financial details, personal documents, browsing history, and more. They can send the stolen information to remote servers controlled by cybercriminals, who can exploit the data for various criminal purposes, including identity theft and financial fraud.

Conclusion

In conclusion, FakeBat represents a concerning addition to the arsenal of malware threats in the digital landscape. As a loader and dropper associated with malvertising campaigns, its ability to infiltrate systems through deceptive practices, such as Punycode manipulation, raises serious security concerns.

How did FakeBat infiltrate my computer?

Users can accidentally infect their computers with FakeBat through a sneaky trick. A Google Ads campaign promotes a fake KeePass download site that pretends to be the real KeePass website using Punycode. This fake site is meant to distribute malware. Even tech-savvy users can find it hard to spot because it seems like a legitimate site.

When users click on the malicious link, they are taken to the fake KeePass site using a Punycode URL. Those who click on download links get a digitally signed installer called KeePass-2.55-Setup.msix. This installer has a hidden trick - it includes the FakeBat malware loader. Once it is installed, FakeBat can start doing its harmful activities on the computer.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Refrain from clicking on unsolicited or suspicious links, especially in emails or on unfamiliar websites. The same applies to opening attachments in suspicious emails. Be cautious of downloading files or software from unverified sources, and always ensure you are using official websites or trusted app stores.

Do not trust ads (e.g., pop-ups or banners) on dubious sites. Regularly update your operating system and software to patch known vulnerabilities, as cybercriminals often exploit these weaknesses. Utilize reputable antivirus and anti-malware software to provide an additional layer of protection.

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.

Official (real) KeePass website:

Fake KeePass website:

Domain of the fake website (with a small variation beneath the character "k"):

Screenshot of a fake Slack download website (slack.trialap[.]com) used to spread FakeBat malware alongside with Atomic Stealer:

Update 11 January 2024 - In January, a new malvertising campaign distributing FakeBat has come to light. In this case, there was also a payload designed for Mac users, specifically the updated version of Atomic Stealer. The perpetrators are enticing potential victims through a Google search ad that mimics Slack, a widely used communication tool.

Cybercriminals redirect users to a deceptive website where the application can be downloaded for both Windows and Mac operating systems. Within the same domain, there exists an open directory that discloses the position of the Windows payload, manifested as an MSI installer (FakeBat), alongside its Mac counterpart, Atomic Stealer (AMOS).

The nefarious DMG file includes user instructions to open the file and presents a dialog window prompting them to input their system password. This action grants Atomic Stealer the ability to gather passwords and other confidential files.

Update 10 May 2024 - Recently, a new campaign involving FakeBat has been discovered. In this campaign, FakeBat deploys other malware, a remote access Trojan (RAT) known as zgRAT. The infection begins with a deceptive advertisement encountered during a Google search for Notion, a widely used program.

Upon clicking the ad, users are redirected to a deceptive page. On this site, clicking the "Download for Windows" button triggers a request to download an MSIX file named Notion-x86.msix. The final stage of the delivery chain involves launching the MSIX installer. This installer is designed to run a malicious PowerShell script that executes the malicious payload.

Update May 16 2024 - FakeBat malware has been recently observed being distributed via social networks (e.g., X, YouTube, LinkedIn) using fake accounts. Cyber criminals promote links to websites that download FakeBat malware.

Screenshots of social networks' accounts and one of the websites used to promote FakeBat malware (source: crep1x):

Update 4 December 2024 - After months of inactivity, Fakebat reappeared in a malicious Google ad promoting the productivity app Notion. The last sighting of Fakebat was in July, through a malicious ad for the online scheduling app Calendly.

In November, a fake ad appeared at the top of a Google search for "Notion", appearing completely legitimate with an official logo and website. This tactic likely works because criminals use click trackers or tracking templates, which redirect unsuspecting users (who are not the targets of cybercriminals) to the real Notion website, bypassing detection and Google's safeguards.

The fake website that is promoted via a malicious ad and hosts FakeBat:

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

Formatting your storage device can be an effective way to remove malware, including FakeBat, but it is also a drastic step that should be considered carefully. Before opting for this approach, you might want to try to run a full system scan with reputable antivirus or anti-malware software to detect and remove the FakeBat malware.

What are the biggest issues that malware can cause?

It can lead to data breaches, resulting in the theft of sensitive personal or corporate information, leading to identity theft, financial fraud, and reputational damage. Malware can also compromise system integrity and functionality, causing system crashes, sluggish performance, and potentially rendering devices inoperable. Moreover, it facilitates unauthorized remote access to infected devices, enabling cybercriminals to monitor activities, exfiltrate data, and launch further attacks.

What is the purpose of FakeBat malware?

The primary purpose of the FakeBat malware is to serve as a loader and dropper for delivering other malicious payloads onto the infected system. In essence, FakeBat acts as a gateway for more harmful malware to enter and compromise the target system.

How did FakeBat infiltrate my computer?

FakeBat's distribution involves the use of Google Ads and Punycode to create a deceptive URL. Cybercriminals use fake URL that closely resembles a legitimate KeePass page, making it challenging for users to distinguish between the two. Computers become infected through a malicious installer downloaded from a fake page.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Combo Cleaner has the ability to identify and remove nearly all well-known malware infections. It is important to note that advanced malware often conceals itself deeply within the system. This is why conducting a comprehensive system scan is imperative.