WaveStealer Trojan Stealer – What It Is and How To Remove It

Lurking in the digital shadows, a cunning new hacker’s tool called WaveStealer has emerged as a formidable cyber threat. When installed on a computer, WaveStealer works as an information stealer – covertly gathering users’ login credentials, financial details, and other sensitive data before secretly transmitting it back to hackers. This gives cybercriminals full access to bank accounts, private messages, and more.

With its stealthy tactics, shape-shifting abilities to disguise itself, and skill at covering its tracks, WaveStealer has proven adept at looting people’s personal information without them ever knowing.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll uncover everything you need to know about how WaveStealer operates, how to spot an infection, and most critically, how to lock it out of your devices for good.

Overview: What is WaveStealer and Why is it Dangerous?

WaveStealer is an information-stealing Trojan – a type of malware that resides in an infected computer and gathers data in order to send it to the attacker. Typical targets are credentials used in online banking services, social media sites, emails, or FTP accounts.

This makes WaveStealer incredibly dangerous, as it can secretly loot login details, financial information, and other private data for weeks or months without detection. The consequences can be devastating – from stolen money to violated privacy to damaged reputations.

WaveStealer sets itself apart from other malware through its stealthy infection tactics, chameleonic abilities to disguise itself once installed, skill at exfiltrating data, and evasive maneuvers to cover its tracks.

Slippery Infection Method

WaveStealer typically sneaks onto target devices by posing as legitimate downloads, email attachments, or even hiding within ads. Unlike spammy malware, it uses clever social engineering to get unwitting users to voluntarily install what they believe is a normal program or document.

Chameleonic Abilities

Once installed, WaveStealer is a master of disguise. It morphs and blends in seamlessly with normal system processes, avoiding detection by antivirus software. This makes it extremely hard to spot.

Data Exfiltration Skills

Armed with users’ credentials and personal information, WaveStealer can secretly transmit stolen data from infected devices back to its operators. This is its purpose – to infiltrate systems and leach sensitive data like a digital vampire.

Evasive Tactics

WaveStealer actively sabotages efforts to uncover it by disabling security services. It covers its tracks by erasing logs, browser history, and other evidence of its malicious activities. This further cloaks it in secrecy.

With this combination of stealth, subterfuge, and digital theft capabilities, WaveStealer has earned its reputation as one of the most dangerous info-stealing Trojans currently threatening computer users worldwide. But how might you get infected in the first place?

How Was My Computer Infected With WaveStealer?

WaveStealer employs a variety of cunning infection vectors to breach computers and start siphoning data. Here are some of the most common methods to watch out for:

• Email Attachments – WaveStealer is frequently distributed through malicious email attachments disguised as innocuous files like documents or images. Opening or downloading these attachments inadvertently installs the Trojan.
• Malicious Downloads – The malware may be bundled with legitimate-looking software downloads found on shady websites. Once installed, it kicks into gear in the background.
• Malvertising – Some WaveStealer campaigns involve hijacking ads on reputable websites. Simply visiting a compromised site with malicious ads can trigger a drive-by WaveStealer download.
• Exploit Kits – These toolkits exploit browser vulnerabilities to forcefully and stealthily install WaveStealer onto computers. Just browsing an infected website can lead to infection.
• Social Engineering – WaveStealer often relies on tricky psychological manipulation to fool users into willingly installing it. This gives it an initial foothold to operate from.

As you can see, WaveStealer developers have engineered their Trojan to be adept at infiltrating devices through various means. Staying vigilant is crucial, as something as simple as opening a dodgy email can result in WaveStealer compromise.

What To Do If You’re Infected With WaveStealer

If you suspect your computer has been compromised by WaveStealer, prompt action is essential to limit the damage. Here are the steps to take:

1. Disconnect from The Internet

Immediately unplug your infected device from the internet. This severs the connection between you and the attackers, preventing any further data exfiltration.

2. Scan For WaveStealer Using Antivirus Tools

Run a full system scan using updated antivirus software to detect WaveStealer components and quarantine/delete them. Top antivirus brands like Malwarebytes and HitmanPro are ideal for this task.

3. Change All Passwords

Assume your credentials have been compromised. Change the passwords for all of your online accounts, ensuring they are strong and unique for each service. Enable two-factor authentication wherever possible for added security.

4. Monitor Accounts Closely

Carefully scrutinize your online accounts over the next few weeks and look for any unauthorized access or suspicious activity. Report anything abnormal to the relevant service.

5. Clean Up WaveStealer Damage

Once removed, WaveStealer sometimes leaves traces behind like disabled services, corrupted files, or browser tweaks. Identify and remedy anything out of the ordinary.

6. Learn From The Experience

Consider how you initially got infected, then modify your online behavior accordingly to prevent it happening again. Improving security habits is the best long-term defense.

While WaveStealer infections can be severe, fast and decisive action can greatly limit the malware’s impact and prevent further damage. With the right response, you can regain control.

How To Completely Remove WaveStealer Using Malware Removal Tools

Removing a sophisticated Trojan like WaveStealer requires specialist malware removal software to locate and fully eliminate infections. Here is an overview of the removal process:

• STEP 1: Use Rkill to terminate malicious processes
• STEP 2: Uninstall malicious programs from Windows
• STEP 3: Reset browsers back to default settings
• STEP 4: Use Malwarebytes to remove for Trojans and Unwanted Programs
• STEP 5: Use HitmanPro to remove Rootkits and other Malware
• STEP 6: Use AdwCleaner to remove Malicious Browser Policies and Adware
• STEP 7: Perform a final check with ESET Online Scanner
• STEP 8: Run the System File Checker (SFC) tool
• STEP 9: Run the Disk Check tool

STEP 1: Use Rkill to terminate malicious processes

In this first step, we will download and run Rkill to terminate malicious processes that may be running on your computer.

RKill is a program that was developed at BleepingComputer.com that attempts to terminate known malware processes so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections. When RKill runs it will kill malware processes and then removes incorrect executable associations and fixes policies that stop us from using certain tools.

1. Download Rkill.

   You can download RKill to your computer from the below link. When at the download page, click on the Download Now button labeled iExplore.exe. We are downloading a renamed version of Rkill (iExplore.exe) because some malware will not allow processes to run unless they have a certain filename.

   

   RKILL DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Rkill)

2. Run RKill.

   After downloading, double-click the iExplore.exe icon to kill malicious processes. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   The program may take some time to search for and end various malware programs.

   

   When it is finished, the black window will close automatically and a log file will open. Do not restart your computer. Proceed to the next step in this guide.

STEP 2: Uninstall malicious programs from Windows

In this second step, we will manually check if any unknown or malicious programs are installed on the computer. Sometimes adware and browser hijackers can have a usable Uninstall entry that can be used to remove them.

Now that the malicious programs have been removed from your computer, we can proceed with the next step in this guide.

STEP 3: Reset browsers back to default settings

In this step, we will remove spam notifications,  malicious extensions, and change to default any settings that might have been changed by malware.
Please note that this method will remove all extensions, toolbars, and other customizations but will leave your bookmarks and favorites intact. For each browser that you have installed on your computer, please click on the browsers tab below and follow the displayed steps to reset that browser.

STEP 4: Use Malwarebytes to remove for Trojans and Unwanted Programs

In this next step, we will we will install Malwarebytes to scan and remove any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present on your computer.

Malwarebytes stands out as one of the leading and widely-used anti-malware solutions for Windows, and for good reason. It effectively eradicates various types of malware that other programs often overlook, all at no cost to you. When it comes to disinfecting an infected device, Malwarebytes has consistently been a free and indispensable tool in the battle against malware. We highly recommend it for maintaining a clean and secure system.

1. Download Malwarebytes for Windows

   You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

   

   MALWAREBYTES FOR WINDOWS DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)
2.  

   Install Malwarebytes

   After the download is complete, locate the MBSetup file, typically found in your Downloads folder. Double-click on the MBSetup file to begin the installation of Malwarebytes on your computer. If a User Account Control pop-up appears, click “Yes” to continue the Malwarebytes installation.

   

3. Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes

   When the Malwarebytes installation begins, the setup wizard will guide you through the process.

   • You’ll first be prompted to choose the type of computer you’re installing the program on—select either “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer” as appropriate, then click on Next.

     

   • Malwarebytes will now begin the installation process on your device.

     

   • When the Malwarebytes installation is complete, the program will automatically open to the “Welcome to Malwarebytes” screen.

     

   • On the final screen, simply click on the Open Malwarebytes option to start the program.

     

4. Enable “Rootkit scanning”.

   Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start, and you will see the main screen as shown below. To maximize Malwarebytes’ ability to detect malware and unwanted programs, we need to enable rootkit scanning. Click on the “Settings” gear icon located on the left of the screen to access the general settings section.

   

   In the settings menu, enable the “Scan for rootkits” option by clicking the toggle switch until it turns blue.

   

   Now that you have enabled rootkit scanning, click on the “Dashboard” button in the left pane to get back to the main screen.

5. Perform a Scan with Malwarebytes.

   To start a scan, click the Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its antivirus database and begin scanning your computer for malicious programs.

   

6. Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

   Malwarebytes will now scan your computer for browser hijackers and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check the status of the scan to see when it is finished.

   

7. Quarantine detected malware

   Once the Malwarebytes scan is complete, it will display a list of detected malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. To effectively remove these threats, click the “Quarantine” button.

   

   Malwarebytes will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the program’s quarantine.

   

8. Restart your computer.

   When removing files, Malwarebytes may require a reboot to fully eliminate some threats. If you see a message indicating that a reboot is needed, please allow it. Once your computer has restarted and you are logged back in, you can continue with the remaining steps.

   

STEP 5: Use HitmanPro to remove Rootkits and other Malware

In this fifth step, while the computer is in normal back, we will download and run a scan with HitmanPro to remove Trojans, rootkits, and other malicious programs.

HitmanPro is a second-opinion scanner that takes a unique cloud-based approach to malware scanning. HitmanPro scans the behavior of active files and also files in locations where malware normally resides for suspicious activity. If it finds a suspicious file that’s not already known, HitmanPro sends it to its clouds to be scanned by two of the best antivirus engines today, which are Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Although HitmanPro is shareware and costs $24.95 for 1 year on 1 PC, there is no limit on scanning. The limitation only kicks in when there is a need to remove or quarantine detected malware by HitmanPro on your system and by then, you can activate the one-time 30-days trial to enable the cleanup.

1. Download HitmanPro.

   You can download HitmanPro by clicking the link below.

   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)

2. Install HitmanPro.

   When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on “hitmanpro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows) to install this program on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   

   You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts.

   When HitmanPro starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Click on the “Next” button to perform a system scan.

   

   

4. Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.

   HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malicious programs.
   

5. Click on “Next”.

   When HitmanPro has finished the scan, it will display a list of all the malware that it has found. Click on the “Next” button to have HitmanPro remove the detected items.

   

6. Click on “Activate free license”.

   HitmanPro may now require to activate the free 30-days trial to remove the malicious files. To do this, click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

   When the malware removal process is complete, it will display a screen that shows the status of the various programs that were removed. At this screen, you should click on the Next button and then if prompted you should click on the Reboot button. If HitmanPro does not prompt you to reboot, please just click on the Close button.

STEP 6: Use AdwCleaner to remove Malicious Browser Policies and Adware

In this next step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove malicious browser policies and unwanted browser extensions from your computer.

AdwCleaner is a free popular on-demand scanner that can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find. This on-demand scanner includes a lot of tools that can be used to fix the side effects of adware. browser hijackers and other malware.

1. Download AdwCleaner.

   You can download AdwCleaner by clicking the link below.

   

   ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download AdwCleaner)

2. Double-click on the setup file.

   Double-click on the file named “adwcleaner_x.x.x.exe” to start AdwCleaner. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   

   AdwCleaner program will now open and you will be presented with the program’s license agreement. After you read it, click on the I agree button if you wish to continue. If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.

   

3. Enable “Reset Chrome policies” to remove malicious browser policies.

   When AdwCleaner starts, on the left side of the window, click on “Settings” and then enable “Reset Chrome policies“.

   

4. Click on the “Scan” button.

   On the left side of the AdwCleaner window, click on “Dashboard” and then click “Scan” to perform a computer scan.

   

5. Wait for the AdwCleaner scan to finish.

   AdwCleaner will now scan your computer for malware. This process can take a few minutes.

   

6. Click on “Quarantine” to remove malware.

   When the AdwCleaner scan is completed it will display all of the items it has found. Click on the “Quarantine” button to remove the malicious programs from your computer.

   

7. Click on “Continue” to remove the malicious programs.

   AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or data as the program will need to close any open programs before it starts to clean. Click on the “Continue” button to finish the removal process.
   

   AdwCleaner will now delete all detected malware from your computer. When the malware removal process is complete, you may be asked to restart your computer.

STEP 7: Perform a final check with ESET Online Scanner

This step involves installing and running a scan with ESET Online Scanner to check for any additional malicious programs that may be installed on the computer..

ESET Online Scanner is a free second-opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti-virus software, firewalls, etc.).

1. Download ESET Online Scanner.

   You can download ESET Online Scanner by clicking the link below.

   

   ESET ONLINE SCANNER DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download ESET Online Scanner)

2. Double-click on esetonlinescanner.exe to run the installer.

   When ESET Online Scanner has finished downloading, double-click on “esetonlinescanner.exe” to install it program on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   

3. Install ESET Online Scanner.

   When ESET Online Scanner starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Select your desired language from the drop-down menu and click Get started.

   

   In the Terms of use screen, click Accept.
   

   Select your preference for the Customer Experience Improvement Program and the Detection feedback system and click Continue.
   

4. Start a Full Scan with ESET Online Scanner

   Click on Full Scan to perform an in-depth inspection of the entire computer.

   

   Select Enable for Detection of Potentially Unwanted Applications, then click Start scan.

   

5. Wait for the ESET Online Scanner scan to finish.

   ESET Online Scanner will now begin to scan your computer for malware. This process can take quite a while, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.

   

6. ESET Online Scanner will automatically remove the malicious files.

   At the end of the scan, the Found and resolved detections screen will be displayed. You can click View detailed results to view specific information. Detected threats are automatically cleaned and quarantined.
   

STEP 8: Run the System File Checker (SFC) tool

In this step, we will use System File Checker (SFC) tool to detect and repair files that may have been corrupted by malware.

The SFC tool scans all protected system files on your computer and replaces any files that are corrupt or damaged with a cached copy that is stored in a compressed folder at %WinDir%\System32\dllcache. By running the SFC tool, you can help ensure that your system is functioning properly and fix any issues.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

   To open the Command Prompt as an administrator in Windows, type “cmd” in the search bar and then right-click on the Command Prompt result and select “Run as administrator” as shown in the image below.
   
   A User Account Control (UAC) prompt will appear asking for permission to allow the program to run. Click “Yes”.

2. Type “sfc /scannow”.

   You will now be presented with a black screen called the ‘Administrator: Command Prompt’. On this screen, type “sfc /scannow” to scan for and repair any corrupt system files.
   

3. Restart your computer.

   Restart your computer if sfc /scannow repaired files. System File Checker may or may not prompt you to restart but even if it doesn’t, you should restart anyway.

4. Run again sfc /scannow.

   Run again sfc /scannow to check if the files were repaired.

STEP 9: Run the Disk Check tool

As a final step, we will utilize the Disk Check tool, commonly referred to as “chkdsk,” to identify and resolve any issues that were caused by malware.

This tool checks your hard disk for errors and can fix any issues it finds. To use the Disk Check tool, you will need to open the command prompt and enter the “chkdsk” command followed by the drive letter (e.g., “chkdsk C:”). You can also add the “/f” flag to the command to instruct the tool to fix any errors it finds. By running the Disk Check tool, you can help ensure that your hard disk is functioning properly and fix any issues that may be causing high disk usage.”

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

   To open the Command Prompt as an administrator in Windows, type “cmd” in the search bar and then right-click on the Command Prompt result and select “Run as administrator” as shown in the image below. A User Account Control (UAC) prompt will appear asking for permission to allow the program to run. Click “Yes”.

2. Type “chkdsk /f /r”

   You will now be presented with a black screen called the ‘Administrator: Command Prompt’. On this screen, type “chkdsk /f /r” to repair any errors on your hard drive.

3. Restart your computer

   The Disk Check tool may require you to restart your computer in order to complete the scan and repair process. Type “Y” and click on Enter, then restart the computer. A CHKDSK command can take a long time, especially when performed on larger drives. Once it’s done, however, it will present a summary of results including total disk space, byte allocation, and, most importantly, any errors that were found and corrected.

The Bottom Line

The WaveStealer Trojan Stealer represents the ever-evolving dangers of malware in the digital age. Its stealthy tactics and data-pilfering capabilities make it a formidable threat to businesses and consumers alike.

However, with greater awareness of how Trojans like WaveStealer operate, the ways they infiltrate systems, and the best practices for removal, users have a fighting chance at defense. Removing infections quickly, resetting compromised credentials, and improving security habits are key.

Our networked world may be prowled by digital predators like WaveStealer, but caution, preparation and continuous learning help protect us. By better understanding the threats we face, we shift the odds in our favor and securely navigate life online.