Storm Stealer

What kind of malware is Storm?

Storm is an information stealer that is sold for between $300 and $1,800. It is written in C++ and is capable of stealing files and information from various apps and extensions, taking screenshots, and loading and executing files. Victims may encounter issues like identity theft, financial loss, account hijacking, and other negative outcomes.

Storm malware

More about Storm

Storm has an administration panel that allows cybercriminals to gather various sensitive information. This stealer scans the system to find browsers by looking for common features shared by Chromium and Gecko-based browsers. This allows it to detect regular installations, portable browsers, and even apps that use Chromium.

Storm can identify almost any browser without needing to be manually updated with new entries. Also, instead of decrypting information on the victim's device, it copies browser files and sends them to a server for processing. Storm can collect data like browsing history, saved form data, cookies, passwords, credit card details, and account tokens.

Furthermore, Storm includes a module that targets browser extensions such as cryptocurrency wallets, password managers, and 2FA plugins. The list of targeted extensions can be customized, and updates can be added immediately. The stealer can also steal data from desktop cryptocurrency wallet applications.

Moreover, Storm has a file-grabbing feature that allows it to collect files from system folders. It allows cybercriminals to choose where to look, what file types to include or exclude, and size limits. It is designed to avoid collecting duplicates and processes files in memory instead of saving them to disk.

Also, this stealer can harvest data from VPN clients and apps like Element, Telegram, Signal, Session, Skype, qTox, Outlook, Pidgin, Viber, WhatsApp, and similar platforms. In addition to these apps, it can collect basic, MFA, and encrypted tokens from Discord, take screenshots, grab saved WiFi passwords, and collect system information.

Targeted system information includes the operating system version, hardware details (CPU, RAM, GPU, and display), and network information such as IP address and MAC address. It also has a loader module that can download and run additional files on a system. This functionality is commonly used to deploy additional payloads (e.g., ransomware).

Threat Summary:
Name	Storm information stealer
Threat Type	Stealer
Symptoms	Trojans are designed to stealthily infiltrate the victim's computer and remain silent, and thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine.
Possible distribution methods	Infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software vulnerabilities, software 'cracks'.
Damage	Stolen passwords and banking information, identity theft, additional infections, account hijacking, monetary loss.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com.

Conclusion

Overall, Storm is an information stealer designed to collect a wide range of sensitive data from infected systems. Threat actors can use the stolen information to access personal accounts, steal identities or money, and for other malicious purposes. Having a device infected with Storm can also lead to additional infections. Thus, if detected, Storm should be removed immediately.

More examples of stealers are Remus, Marco, and Torg.

How did Storm infiltrate my computer?

Cybercriminals often lure users into infecting their devices through emails containing malicious attachments or links, tech support scams, malicious advertisements, pirated software, cracks, or key generators. They also deliver malware by exploiting security weaknesses in outdated or unpatched software.

Other distribution methods can be unofficial download sites, compromised websites, infected USB drives, and peer-to-peer networks. Usually, malware is distributed using malicious executables, ZIP or RAR files, scripts, PDFs, and Microsoft Office documents.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Only download software from official websites or trusted app stores, and never use pirated programs, cracks, or keygens. Keep your operating system and applications up to date. Be cautious with unexpected emails or messages, particularly those from unknown senders that include links or attachments.

Do not click on pop-ups, ads, or prompts from untrusted websites, and refuse notification requests from questionable pages. 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.

Appearance of the website promoting Storm stealer (GIF):

Storm stealer promoting site

Storm's administration panel:

Storm stealer admin panel

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner

By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com.

Quick menu:

What is Storm?
STEP 1. Manual removal of Storm malware.
STEP 2. Check if your computer is clean.

How to remove malware manually?

Manual malware removal is a complicated task - usually it is best to allow antivirus or anti-malware programs to do this automatically. To remove this malware we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

If you wish to remove malware manually, the first step is to identify the name of the malware that you are trying to remove. Here is an example of a suspicious program running on a user's computer:

Malware process running in the Task Manager

If you checked the list of programs running on your computer, for example, using task manager, and identified a program that looks suspicious, you should continue with these steps:

manual malware removal step 1 Download a program called Autoruns. This program shows auto-start applications, Registry, and file system locations:

Autoruns application appearance

manual malware removal step 2 Restart your computer into Safe Mode:

Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Start your computer in Safe Mode. Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, click OK. During your computer start process, press the F8 key on your keyboard multiple times until you see the Windows Advanced Option menu, and then select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.

Run Windows 7 or Windows XP in Safe Mode with Networking

Video showing how to start Windows 7 in "Safe Mode with Networking":

Windows 8 users: Start Windows 8 is Safe Mode with Networking - Go to Windows 8 Start Screen, type Advanced, in the search results select Settings. Click Advanced startup options, in the opened "General PC Settings" window, select Advanced startup.

Click the "Restart now" button. Your computer will now restart into the "Advanced Startup options menu". Click the "Troubleshoot" button, and then click the "Advanced options" button. In the advanced option screen, click "Startup settings".

Click the "Restart" button. Your PC will restart into the Startup Settings screen. Press F5 to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.

Run Windows 8 in Safe Mode with Networking

Video showing how to start Windows 8 in "Safe Mode with Networking":

Windows 10 users: Click the Windows logo and select the Power icon. In the opened menu click "Restart" while holding "Shift" button on your keyboard. In the "choose an option" window click on the "Troubleshoot", next select "Advanced options".

In the advanced options menu select "Startup Settings" and click on the "Restart" button. In the following window you should click the "F5" button on your keyboard. This will restart your operating system in safe mode with networking.

Run Windows 10 in Safe Mode with Networking

Video showing how to start Windows 10 in "Safe Mode with Networking":

manual malware removal step 3 Extract the downloaded archive and run the Autoruns.exe file.

Extract Autoruns.zip archive and run Autoruns.exe application

manual malware removal step 4 In the Autoruns application, click "Options" at the top and uncheck "Hide Empty Locations" and "Hide Windows Entries" options. After this procedure, click the "Refresh" icon.

Refresh Autoruns application results

manual malware removal step 5 Check the list provided by the Autoruns application and locate the malware file that you want to eliminate.

You should write down its full path and name. Note that some malware hides process names under legitimate Windows process names. At this stage, it is very important to avoid removing system files. After you locate the suspicious program you wish to remove, right click your mouse over its name and choose "Delete".

Delete malware in Autoruns

After removing the malware through the Autoruns application (this ensures that the malware will not run automatically on the next system startup), you should search for the malware name on your computer. Be sure to enable hidden files and folders before proceeding. If you find the filename of the malware, be sure to remove it.

Search for malware and delete it

Reboot your computer in normal mode. Following these steps should remove any malware from your computer. Note that manual threat removal requires advanced computer skills. If you do not have these skills, leave malware removal to antivirus and anti-malware programs.

These steps might not work with advanced malware infections. As always it is best to prevent infection than try to remove malware later. To keep your computer safe, install the latest operating system updates and use antivirus software. To be sure your computer is free of malware infections, we recommend scanning it with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

My computer is infected with Storm malware, should I format my storage device to get rid of it?

While this method will eliminate Storm, it also wipes everything stored on the device. For that reason, using a reputable anti-malware tool like Combo Cleaner is often advised first, before considering reformatting.

What are the biggest issues that malware can cause?

Malware can be capable of file encryption, downloading other malicious software, harvesting sensitive information, and performing other actions. This can cause identity theft, financial losses, unauthorized access to devices, permanent loss of data, and other issues.

What is the purpose of Storm?

Storm is malware designed to collect sensitive data from infected devices and send it to attackers. It targets passwords, browser data, financial information, and data from apps and cryptocurrency wallets. Additionally, it has a loader that can be used to execute other malware.

How did a malware infiltrate my computer?

Cybercriminals often spread malware through deceptive emails, fake tech support, harmful ads, pirated software, and exploited security flaws in outdated programs. It can also be distributed using unofficial sites, infected USB drives, and peer-to-peer networks, and is usually hidden in files like executables, archives, scripts, PDFs, or Office documents.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware. However, advanced malware may hide deeper in system, so performing a full system scan is strongly recommended.