How to remove Vidar 2.0 from infected systems

What kind of malware is Vidar 2.0?

Vidar 2.0 is a new release of the Vidar malware, rewritten in C programming language and capable of multi-threaded data stealing. It defeats Chrome's app-bound encryption and includes advanced evasion features. Stolen data is sent to delivery channels like Telegram bots and Steam profile URLs.

More about Vidar 2.0

Vidar 2.0 steals data from web browsers such as Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. It exfiltrates login and web data from Chrome and Edge browsers, including passwords, autofill data, and credit card details. It also steals passwords, browsing history, cookies (including network cookie files), and master encryption keys from Firefox browsers.

Furthermore, Vidar 2.0 targets cryptocurrency wallets. It grabs extension databases and settings (both local and synced) and Monero wallet directories, which can expose wallet details, cached data, and, if found, private keys or seed phrases. With this data, cybercriminals might access wallets and drain them.

Moreover, the malware copies credentials and tokens used to access AWS and Azure, Azure identity tokens, and data from the Microsoft Authentication Library cache (Office 365 and Azure AD tokens). These files let attackers impersonate victims and access their cloud services.

In addition to the aforementioned data, Vidar 2.0 can steal FileZilla's recent server entries, WinSCP configuration data, and WinSCP sessions. Using this information, threat actors may be able to log into the victim's servers to download, modify, or delete files, or perform other malicious actions.

Lastly, the malware can steal login session data, library information, configuration data, and Guard files from Steam, Telegram data, Discord token files, and app session files from messaging apps. This information allows the attackers to take over accounts, access private chats, and impersonate victims.

It is also known that Vidar 2.0 targets not only Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browsers, but also Opera, Opera GX, Palemoon, Vivaldi, and Waterfox. When targeting browsers, the malware forces the browser into debug mode and injects malicious code that steals encryption keys from the browser's active memory and sends them to the malware.

Using those keys, the stealer can bypass Chrome's AppBound protections. Once targeted information is captured, Vidar 2.0 takes screenshots, bundles everything, and exfiltrates it via Telegram bots and Steam profile links.

Conclusion

Vidar 2.0 is a powerful stealer that injects into many browsers and apps to harvest passwords, encryption keys, cloud and crypto wallet data, and session tokens. Its capabilities enable attackers take over accounts, access cloud resources, steal crypto, and more. If a device is infected, the malware should be removed as soon as possible.

More examples of malware with information stealing capabilities are NovaShadow, SharkStealer, and Acreed.

How did Vidar 2.0 infiltrate my computer?

Devices can get infected through deceptive (and malicious) advertisements, fraudulent emails with harmful attachments or links, compromised (or fake) websites, infected USB drives, P2P networks, or third‑party downloaders. Malware is often hidden in executable files, Office or PDF documents, archive files like ZIP/RAR, or scripts.

Infections can also occur through pirated software, keygens, cracking tools, or tech support scams. Typically, devices become infected after users execute malware themselves.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Only download software from official websites or trusted app stores. Avoid pirated software, cracks, or keygens. Do not click links or open attachments in unexpected, irrelevant, or suspicious emails (or other messages) from unknown senders. Regularly update your operating system, apps, and antivirus programs.

Do not click on ads, pop-ups, or buttons on shady sites, and block notification requests from untrusted pages. Run antivirus and anti-malware scans often. 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.

Vidar 2.0 release announcement on a hacker forum:

Update March 10, 2026 - Researchers have identified a new distribution campaign where threat actors created fake GitHub repositories impersonating installers for OpenClaw, a legitimate open-source AI assistant application. Bing's AI-powered search results were found to be promoting these malicious repositories to users searching for the software.

This campaign also distributes GhostSocks alongside Vidar - a malware that silently converts the victim's computer into a proxy node, allowing attackers to route their network traffic through infected machines. (source: bleepingcomputer.com).

Update 20 March, 2026 - Vidar 2.0 is now being spread through fake game cheat files on platforms like GitHub and Reddit. Threat actors create fake repositories that look like tools for popular games. These files are described/promoted as "free cheats" or similar. When users download and run them, they actually infect their devices with malware instead of getting cheats.

This distribution method works because many users trust GitHub and are often willing to download free cheats, making them more likely to run the malicious files.

Screenshot of a fake installation guide used to trick users into running malware (source: acronis.com):

Update August 31, 2026 - Anthropic has confirmed that Vidar is among the infostealer malware families being used to steal Claude AI platform login sessions. Attackers harvest browser session cookies to access victims' Claude accounts without requiring a password or two-factor authentication, then consume the victim's usage allowance or paid API credits. Anthropic is revoking compromised sessions and processing refunds for unauthorized charges. (source: bleepingcomputer.com).

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 Vidar 2.0 malware, should I format my storage device to get rid of it?

Formatting the storage device can get rid of Vidar 2.0, but it is a last resort because it deletes all your data. It is better to first perform a full scan with reliable antivirus or anti-malware tools, like Combo Cleaner.

What are the biggest issues that malware can cause?

The biggest risks include stealing sensitive information like passwords, banking details, or personal files, slowing down or crashing systems, encrypting or corrupting files, using devices to attack others, or dropping more payloads on the already infected systems.

What is the purpose of Vidar 2.0?

The purpose of Vidar 2.0 is to steal sensitive data, like passwords, encryption keys, crypto wallet data, cloud credentials, and session tokens from browsers, apps, and systems.

How did a malware infiltrate my computer?

Devices can be compromised through malicious ads, software vulnerabilities, deceptive emails, fake or hacked websites, infected USB drives, P2P networks, pirated software, keygens, cracking tools, tech support scams, or third-party downloaders. Users often infect devices via malicious executables, documents, archives, or script files.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware, but is important to note that advanced threats may be hidden in the system. Running a full system scan is essential to detect and fully eliminate them.