How to remove Remus from infected devices

What kind of malware is Remus?

Remus is a stealer associated with Lumma. It shares similar capabilities, including the ability to steal browser passwords, cookies, and cryptocurrency wallet information. It is considered to be an evolution of Lumma (not a separate malware). Remus uses new techniques such as EtherHiding and improved anti-analysis checks.

More about Remus

Remus likely evolved from an earlier variant called Tenzor, which appears to be an intermediate stage between Lumma and Remus. Remus and Lumma are very similar - they use many of the same methods and share similar code. Both of them can bypass browser security called Application-Bound Encryption (ABE).

They inject a piece of code into the browser to access (and decrypt) a protected key stored in memory. Remus uses a slightly smaller and more efficient version of the code than Lumma. Remus and Lumma both hide their activity by running a browser in a hidden desktop so the victim does not see any window.

If this method does not work, they create a new hidden browser instead. The only difference is how they name the hidden desktop. They also use another technique called "SYSTEM impersonation" to get higher permissions. Both methods enable them to steal browser data.

Furthermore, Remus and Lumma try to detect if they are running inside a virtual machine. They do this by checking system information for indications of virtualization software such as VMware, VirtualBox, or KVM. If they detect these signs, they can change their behavior or hide their activity.

Also, Remus and Lumma check if they are running without protection (like a crypter) before starting their malicious actions. If they are not protected, they show a warning message to stop operators from spreading or accidentally running the malware.

It is also important to note that Remus and Lumma perform tasks such as memory management, clipboard stealing, and configuration storage in nearly identical steps. However, Remus uses updated techniques for things like data theft, system identification, and communication with its servers.

The biggest change is how it finds its command servers, switching to a blockchain method (EtherHiding) instead of older techniques. It also includes stronger anti-analysis features to avoid detection. Moreover, Remus gets its C2 address from the blockchain, which is hard to remove or block. This makes termination more difficult.

Lastly, Remus checks whether it is running in a sandbox or an analysis environment early. It scans loaded system modules and compares them against known security and sandbox tools. If it detects any of them, it stops running immediately. Since Remus is very similar to the Lumma stealer, it primarily targets data such as usernames, passwords, browser data, cryptocurrency wallets, and other personal data stored on the device.

Conclusion

Remus is a newer variant of the Lumma and shares many of the same techniques and goals. It is used to steal sensitive user data such as passwords, browser information, and cryptocurrency wallets. It also includes improved stealth and anti-detection features to avoid analysis and removal.

Overall, it is an evolution of existing information-stealing malware with stronger evasion methods. Some examples of other information-stealing malware are Torg, VoidStealer, and BoryptGrab.

How did Remus infiltrate my computer?

Usually, cybercriminals deliver malware via deceptive emails with infected attachments or malicious links, technical support scams, pirated programs (or cracking tools and key generators), malicious advertisements, and software vulnerabilities. They also use fake or compromised websites, P2P networks, third-party downloaders, and similar methods.

Malware is often hidden in malicious executable files, documents like MS Office or PDF files, archives, or scripts. It infiltrates when users download and execute it.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Download software only from official websites or trusted app stores, and avoid using cracked programs, pirated tools, or key generators. Keep your operating system and all applications up to date. Be cautious with pop-ups, ads, and permission requests from untrusted websites, and do not allow notifications from suspicious pages.

Also, treat unexpected emails carefully, especially from unknown senders, and avoid opening any links or attachments that look unsafe. 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.

Update May 18, 2026 - A detailed analysis published by BleepingComputer reveals that Remus stealer has shifted its focus toward stealing active browser sessions and authentication tokens. This approach lets attackers bypass two-factor authentication and take over accounts without needing the victim's password. The updated version also collects stored data from password managers including 1Password, LastPass, and Bitwarden.

Remus now also targets sessions from platforms such as Discord, Steam, Riot Games, and Telegram. The malware operates as a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) offering, sold to multiple cybercriminals who run their own campaigns using it, complete with customer support and an operator dashboard. (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 Remus stealer, should I format my storage device to get rid of it?

This approach can fully eliminate Remus, but it will also delete all data and files stored on the device. Instead of resetting or formatting the system, it is generally recommended to first use a reliable security tool such as Combo Cleaner.

What are the biggest issues that malware can cause?

Malware can collect sensitive data, encrypt files, deliver additional malware, perform other malicious actions. This can lead to unauthorized access to accounts, financial damage, data loss, and identity theft. Overall, it can result in serious security and privacy issues.

What is the purpose of Remus?

The purpose of Remus is to steal sensitive information. It targets data such as browser passwords, cookies, cryptocurrency wallet details, and other personal information. It may also collect information from various applications.

How did Remus infiltrate my computer?

Cybercriminals spread malware through fraudulent emails containing malicious links or files, fake websites, pirated software, deceptive ads, tech support scams, software vulnerabilities, and similar channels. It is often hidden in files like documents, archives, scripts, or executables and activates when the user opens them (or takes additional steps).

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known threats. However, some advanced malware may be harder to find because it may hide deeply in the system. That is why a full system scan is important to ensure all threats are removed.