How to eliminate Leet stealer from your operating system

What kind of malware is Leet?

Leet is an Electron-based stealer that emerged in late autumn of 2024. This data-stealing program was initially offered as MaaS (Malware-as-a-Service) before its source code (alongside that of the Hexon stealer) was put on the market in the spring of 2025. Since then, several variants of this malware have been created; it is suspected that Leet served as a base for the RMC stealer.

It is noteworthy that Leet, alongside RMC and another stealer called Sniffer, have been spread through gaming-themed social engineering campaigns.

Leet malware overview

Leet utilizes anti-detection and anti-analysis techniques. One of its sandbox detection methods is cross-referencing the infected device's hostname, username, GPU, IP address, and running processes with its exclusion list.

As mentioned in the introduction, Leet is a stealer – a type of malware designed to exfiltrate sensitive information from infected machines. It can extract Internet cookies, auto-fills (e.g., personally identifiable details, usernames, etc.), and passwords from various browsers. Targeted browsers include Google Chrome, Chromium, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, Vivaldi, and Yandex.

This program seeks to acquire information from other types of software as well. It can steal a wide variety of data from the Discord messenger (including the unofficial version dubbed BetterDiscord). The stealer also targets information associated with the WhatsApp and Telegram messengers, as well as gaming-related programs like Steam, Epic Games, Growtopia, and Minecraft.

Furthermore, Leet has the ability to download/install additional malicious components or programs onto systems. Software capable of this may cause any type of infection (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.) – however, in practice, these programs tend to operate within certain limitations or specifications.

According to the promotional material of Leet's initial version from 2024, it has also targeted cryptowallets and cryptocurrency-related browser extensions (e.g., Atomic, Exodus, MetaMask, etc.). This variant could also change the desktop wallpaper, play audio, execute PowerShell commands, and have remote desktop capabilities.

It must be mentioned that malware developers commonly improve upon their software and techniques. Therefore, possible future iterations of this stealer could retain the old features or have additional/different capabilities.

In summary, the presence of malicious software like Leet on a device can lead to multiple system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

Stealer-type malware examples

We have investigated numerous malicious programs; SHUYAL, BOFAMET, Scruffy, Myth, and Amatera are just some of our latest articles on stealers.

This type of malware can seek a broad range of data or specific details only. What is more, data-stealing abilities are prevalent in all kinds of malware, and stealers are also used in combination with other programs.

It must be stressed that regardless of how a piece of malicious software operates – its presence on a system threatens device/user safety. Therefore, all threats must be removed immediately upon detection.

How did Leet infiltrate my computer?

Leet stealer has been proliferated through gaming-centered campaigns. These operations also distributed other stealers – RMC and Sniffer. It was spread under the names of yet-to-be-released as well as fake video games. The malware's executable files bore names related to setups, Steam, and indie games.

Some game titles used for the filenames include Catly, Eden, and Rooted – all listed on Steam but are unreleased as of the time of writing. However, as Steam does have an early access program, the availability of games prior to their official release has credence – and this is what the cyber criminals rely on.

Leet was also distributed under the guise of nonexistent games with strong social engineering campaigns complementing them. They were advertised on dedicated "official" websites and YouTube channels.

Some of the known samples are: Baruda Quest (with branding/artwork stolen from an actual game named Club Cooee), Warstorm Fire (stolen from Crossfire: Sierra Squad), WarHeirs (The Braves), and Dire Talon (Project Feline). Many of the sites were in Portuguese, with most suspected victims based in Brazil. However, a large number of users compromised through these campaigns were also located in the US and Turkey. These fake game websites were heavily promoted via Discord.

It is noteworthy that Leet could be distributed using other methods. Generally, phishing and social engineering are standard in malware distribution. Malicious software is typically disguised as or bundled with ordinary program/media files. Formats may differ, e.g., executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

The most prevalent distribution techniques include: backdoor/loader-type trojans, drive-by (stealthy/deceptive) downloads, malicious attachments/links in spam (e.g., emails, PMs/DMs, social media posts, etc.), malvertising, online scams, suspicious download sources (e.g., freeware and third-party websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.), illegal software activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates.

What is more, some malicious programs can self-proliferate through local networks and removable storage devices (e.g., external hard drives, USB flash drives, etc.).

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly recommend vigilance when browsing since the Internet is rife with deceptive and malicious content. Incoming emails and other messages must be approached with caution. Attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent.

Additionally, all downloads must be made from official and verified sources. Another recommendation is to activate and update software employing functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.

It is essential to have a reputable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs 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.

Screenshots of fake game websites spreading Leet malware (image source – Acronis):

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

Malware removal rarely requires formatting.

What are the biggest issues that Leet malware can cause?

The threats posed by an infection depend on the malware's functionalities and the attackers' goals. Leet is designed to steal vulnerable data and cause chain infections. Generally, the presence of such software can lead to multiple system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

What is the purpose of Leet malware?

Malware is predominantly used to generate revenue for the attackers. However, it can also be used to amuse the cyber criminals or realize their grudges, disrupt processes (e.g., sites, services, companies, organizations, etc.), engage in hacktivism, and launch politically/geopolitically motivated attacks.

How did Leet malware infiltrate my computer?

Leet stealer has been spread as both existent and nonexistent video games promoted through Discord. Other distribution methods are not unlikely.

Popular malware proliferation techniques include: trojans, drive-by downloads, suspicious download sources (e.g., freeware and third-party sites, P2P sharing networks, etc.), online scams, spam emails/messages, malvertising, illegal software activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates. What is more, some malicious programs can self-spread via local networks and removable storage devices.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating most of the known malware infections. It must be emphasized that performing a complete system scan is paramount since high-end malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.