How to get rid of SnakeBiteAgent RAT

What kind of malware is SnakeBiteAgent?

SnakeBiteAgent is a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) discovered by ANY.RUN. It hands attackers control over an infected Windows computer and bundles password theft, banking fraud, cryptocurrency theft, and live surveillance into a single tool.

What makes this RAT unusual is that it does not stay completely invisible. After it settles on the machine, it can display a full-screen lock window that blocks access to the desktop and demands an unlock password, while the rest of its modules keep working in the background.

SnakeBiteAgent RAT overview

The malware is built around a large command set - roughly 274 methods, none of them hidden behind obfuscation, which means every technique it supports is plainly named inside the file. Operators connect to the infected machine over a single channel and issue commands through it.

One of the core features is a hidden desktop. The RAT creates a second, invisible Windows desktop and starts a browser, Explorer, and Notepad inside it. The victim sees nothing on screen, yet the attacker can browse, open files, and click around as if sitting at the keyboard.

Alongside that, SnakeBiteAgent captures the real screen and streams the images back over the same connection. In practice, the operator watches everything the victim does and can also work on the machine unseen.

The lock screen shown after infiltration

After the infection is in place, the malware can throw up a black full-screen window titled SYSTEM LOCKED, stating that the computer has been locked and that all access is restricted. It asks for an unlock password and tells the victim to contact an email address, Supports@consultant.com, to obtain it.

The message is short and offers no explanation beyond that. There is no reason to write to the criminals behind it - paying or negotiating does not undo the infection, and the machine remains fully compromised regardless of whether the lock screen is removed.

Data theft, banking, and cryptocurrency

SnakeBiteAgent goes after saved credentials in Chromium-based browsers, including Chrome and Edge, pulling both stored logins and saved card data. It also reads the saved password file used by Firefox and collects credentials stored by Windows itself.

The RAT can inject commands into a running browser session and starts the browser off-screen with automation warnings disabled, so nothing looks out of place. It additionally runs a small web server on the machine itself, serving built-in fake Gmail, Microsoft, and Yahoo sign-in pages and recording each login attempt.

Banking is a clear priority. The malware watches for banking sites in the foreground and scans browsing history for recent visits, with a target list of 51 institutions, 31 of them in Southeast Asia. For cryptocurrency it monitors the clipboard and swaps copied wallet addresses and account numbers, and it hunts for wallet files on disk.

Surveillance capabilities

The malware includes a keylogger that records keystrokes to a local file, so passwords typed by hand end up captured even when they are not stored in a browser. Clipboard contents are logged as well.

It can also switch on the webcam and record from the microphone. Combined with screen capture, this gives operators a fairly complete picture of the victim, their surroundings, and their conversations.

Defense evasion and remote access

To stay alive on the system, SnakeBiteAgent tampers with Microsoft Defender through policy settings in the Windows Registry and attempts to stop the Defender service. It also abuses a Windows debugging feature to block chosen programs from launching, which is commonly used to keep security tools from starting.

Another trick is a loop that repeatedly re-shows the User Account Control prompt until the victim finally clicks Yes, granting the malware elevated rights.

For long-term access, the RAT silently installs legitimate remote support software such as AnyDesk and MeshCentral, opens a SOCKS proxy that routes attacker traffic through the victim's connection, scans the local network for other machines, and downloads and runs further payloads through PowerShell.

Conclusion

SnakeBiteAgent is a serious threat that can drain bank accounts and cryptocurrency, hand over email and social media accounts, spy on the victim through the webcam and microphone, and open the door to further infections. The lock screen it displays is only the visible part of a much broader compromise, and the malware should be removed as soon as possible.

More examples of RATs are PackClient, E4del, and PINHOLE.

How did SnakeBiteAgent infiltrate my computer?

Threats of this class usually arrive through phishing emails and messages. The attachment or link is presented as an invoice, a delivery notice, a job offer, or a document that has to be reviewed, and opening it launches the trojan.

Pirated software is another common route. Illegal activation tools and cracks downloaded from torrent sites, file hosting pages, and shady forums frequently carry a RAT instead of, or alongside, the promised program. Fake software update prompts and deceptive ads lead to the same result.

Malware is also spread through fake download websites impersonating well-known applications, malicious advertising, infected USB drives, and vulnerabilities in outdated software. The files used range from executables and installers to archives, documents, scripts, and shortcut files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Treat unexpected emails and messages with suspicion, especially when they push you to open an attachment or click a link. Check who the sender really is before doing anything. Download software only from official websites and app stores, and stay away from cracks, key generators, and pirated content, since those are a reliable way to end up infected.

Keep Windows and your installed programs updated through their official update tools, and do not trust update prompts that appear on random websites. Avoid intrusive ads and pop-ups, and do not allow notifications from pages you do not know. 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.

Lock screen displayed by SnakeBiteAgent after infiltration:

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

Formatting will certainly remove the infection, but it also erases every file stored on the drive. In most cases a scan with a reputable security tool such as Combo Cleaner is the better first step, and formatting should be kept as a last resort.

What are the biggest issues that SnakeBiteAgent malware can cause?

It can empty bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, hand over email and social media accounts, and record the victim through the webcam and microphone. On top of that, it allows attackers to install more malware and to use the infected computer as a stepping stone into other devices on the same network.

What is the purpose of SnakeBiteAgent malware?

Its purpose is to give attackers hidden remote control over the computer so they can steal credentials, commit banking and cryptocurrency fraud, watch the user, and run whatever commands or additional payloads they choose. The lock screen it displays is used to pressure the victim into contacting the criminals.

How did SnakeBiteAgent malware infiltrate my computer?

RATs of this kind typically reach victims through phishing emails with malicious attachments or links, pirated software and cracks, fake download and update pages, malicious advertising, and infected removable drives.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?

Yes. Combo Cleaner detects and removes almost all known malware infections. Keep in mind that advanced threats often bury themselves deep in the system, so running a full system scan rather than a quick one is important.