How to eliminate Needle stealer

What kind of malware is Needle Stealer?

Needle Stealer is a modular information stealer written in Golang that harvests saved browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallet files, messaging app data, and other sensitive files from infected computers. It also installs a companion malicious browser extension that gives attackers real-time control over the victim's browser, including the ability to redirect pages, intercept and silently replace file downloads, and inject scripts into visited websites.

According to research by Malwarebytes, Needle Stealer has been distributed through a site called TradingClaw, which posed as a free AI-powered trading tool for TradingView users. Victims who downloaded what they believed was a legitimate trading application unknowingly triggered a multi-stage infection chain that quietly planted the malware in the background.

Needle Stealer overview

Needle Stealer is delivered as a ZIP archive downloaded from the fake TradingClaw website. The archive contains a loader that exploits DLL hijacking via a file named iviewers.dll to load a second-stage component. That second stage then uses process hollowing to inject the stealer into RegAsm.exe, a legitimate Windows binary. Running inside a trusted system process helps the malware blend in and avoid triggering security alerts.

Once active, the stealer connects to the attacker's Command and Control (C2) server and begins collecting data. It targets saved passwords, cookies, and browsing history from web browsers, along with data stored by Telegram and FTP clients. It also scans for text files, harvests cryptocurrency wallet data, and monitors the clipboard.

Malicious browser extension

The most distinctive part of Needle Stealer is the malicious browser extension it installs on the victim's machine. The extension is dropped to a randomly named folder under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Extensions and communicates with the attacker's server using a configuration file that stores an API key and C2 address details.

Through this extension, attackers can apply redirect rules to send the victim to attacker-controlled pages, intercept legitimate downloads and replace them with malicious files, inject code into pages the victim is currently viewing, and push fake browser notifications. The extension can also collect the victim's full browsing history. It includes a self-destruct function, allowing the attacker to remove it remotely on command.

Targeted cryptocurrency applications

Needle Stealer specifically seeks out cryptocurrency assets. On the desktop side, it targets data from Ledger, Trezor, and Exodus wallets. It also goes after browser wallet extensions, particularly MetaMask and Coinbase Wallet, attempting to extract seed phrases that would give the attacker permanent, irrecoverable access to the victim's funds.

Conclusion

Needle Stealer is a serious threat to financial accounts, online sessions, and stored credentials. By pairing a traditional stealer with a persistent malicious browser extension, it gives attackers both a one-time harvest of stored data and ongoing, real-time influence over the victim's browser - allowing them to redirect pages, replace downloads, and continue harvesting data well after the initial infection.

Victims can face identity theft, loss of cryptocurrency, account takeover, and exposure to further malware delivered through the attacker-controlled extension. The malware should be removed immediately, and all accounts and cryptocurrency funds should be secured from a clean device.

More examples of stealers are NWHStealer, OmniStealer, and Storm.

How did Needle Stealer infiltrate my computer?

Malwarebytes researchers documented Needle Stealer being distributed through a site called TradingClaw (tradingclaw[.]pro), which presented itself as a free AI trading tool for TradingView users. The site offered a "Download for Windows" button and used selective redirects - regular visitors were served the malicious installer, while search engine crawlers were redirected to an unrelated decoy page. Victims who ran the downloaded application unknowingly triggered a chain that used DLL hijacking and process hollowing to silently inject the stealer into a legitimate Windows process.

Needle Stealer is also delivered as a follow-on payload by other malware loaders, including Amadey, GCleaner, and CountLoader/DeepLoad, meaning victims do not need to have visited the TradingClaw site to become infected. More broadly, malware of this kind reaches victims through phishing emails with malicious attachments, fake software download pages, malvertising, pirated content, and software cracks from untrustworthy sources.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious about software downloaded from unfamiliar websites, especially tools promoted through trading forums, social media, or YouTube videos. Only download applications from official developer websites or verified storefronts. Avoid pirated software, key generators, and activation cracks, as these are a common vehicle for hidden malware. Keep your operating system and all installed applications updated, since attackers regularly exploit known vulnerabilities in outdated software.

Do not click on links or open attachments in unexpected emails or messages, even when the sender looks familiar. Be wary of browser notifications from sites you do not fully trust, and use a reputable security application that provides real-time 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.

Fake trading website (TradingClaw) used to distribute Needle Stealer (source: malwarebytes.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

---

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

---

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

---

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

---

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

---

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

Formatting will remove Needle Stealer, but it also erases every file on the drive. Running a reputable security tool like Combo Cleaner first is the safer choice in most cases.

What are the biggest issues that Needle Stealer malware can cause?

Needle Stealer can steal saved passwords, session cookies, and cryptocurrency wallet files, while its malicious browser extension gives attackers the ability to redirect pages and replace downloads in real time. This can result in account takeover, identity theft, and irreversible loss of cryptocurrency funds.

What is the purpose of Needle Stealer malware?

The purpose of Needle Stealer is to steal sensitive data from infected computers, including browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallet files, and messaging app data, while also giving attackers persistent, real-time browser control through a malicious extension it installs.

How did Needle Stealer malware infiltrate my computer?

Needle Stealer has been spread through TradingClaw, a fake AI trading website that offered a malicious Windows installer. It can also arrive as a follow-on payload dropped by other malware loaders, including Amadey, GCleaner, and CountLoader/DeepLoad.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Yes. Combo Cleaner can detect and remove most known malware. Because threats like Needle Stealer may place components in less obvious locations, running a full system scan gives the best chance of a complete cleanup.