KBOT Trojan Removal Guide — Restore Your PC From Infections

by Martin Beltov | February 11, 2020 | 0 Comments KBOT, removal guide, trojan, virus

This article has been created in order to explain what is the KBOT Trojan and how to remove this malware completely from your computer.

The KBOT Trojan is a newly discovered dangerous Trojan that infects computers and can manipulate web browsers. It contains advanced functionality which allows hackers to easily take over control of the machines. Our removal guide features a detailed explanation of the banking Trojan’s mechanisms of operation, as well as instructions on restoring the infected computers from the infections.

Threat Summary

Name	KBOT Trojan
Type	Trojan Horse Virus
Short Description	Silently infects the target machines and modifies key applications and system services.
Symptoms	The user may not experience any signs of infiltration.
Distribution Method	Malicious web links, Malicious Files, Malicious E-Mails
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss KBOT Trojan.

The KBOT Trojan is a newly discovered malware which has been discovered in several large-scale campaigns across several regions and countries. This particular Trojan has an advanced infection sequence. When the virus engine is engaged in the first part of its sequence — to infect the target computers it will first process all EXE (executable) files on the accessed computer’s hard drives. However instead of stopping there it will also access other locations via the file manager — network shares and removable devices. This is very dangerous as this presents a very quick way for a single infection to impact a whole network in a relatively quick time. The security analysis shows that this is possible as the KBOT Trojan is programmed to interact with the operating system’s services.

According to the available information the KBOT Trojan primarily infects its targets through several main methods:

Internet Download — The users can acquire the virus samples via various methods. In most cases this includes phishing campaigns — the hacking groups will send out SPAM email messages and craft hacker-controlled sites which will impersonate well-known companies or services. As they are usually hosted on similar sounding domain names the victims can confuse themselves and interact with the faked content.
Local Network Infection — Already made infections from one of the computers in the local area network can lead to the virus deployment.
Direct Attacks — The hackers can use special toolkits in orde to discover and compromise found vulnerabilities and other types of security weaknesses.

KBOT Trojan Capabilities

The KBOT Trojan features advanced features and modules which will be run after the threat has been installed on a given computer. One of the first actions which will be done is to conceal itself in the system by interacting with the operating system through various methods — calling APIs, DLLs and editing configuration files. There are several consequences which can follow:

Security Applications Bypass — The engine can bypass or entirely remove installed security services and applications that can potentially block the virus. This includes the likes of anti-virus programs, sandbox environments, firewalls and etc.
Integrity Checks — The KBOT Trojan can inject its own DLLs in various other processes by hooking up to them and inserting itself in their configuration files.
System Changes — The main engine can also edit out existing configuration files and/or the Windows Registry. Such actions are commonly used to install the virus as a persistent threat — this will run the ransomware every time the computer is powered on.

Following the setup of the KBOT Trojan it will proceed with the usual activity — it can extract and inject information in web browsers — this is done by hooking up to the running processes and acquiring form data. The virus can automatically modify fields in web banking services and other opened web sites. This activity may not be visible to the users. The captured samples are compatible with the following applications: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and the Yandex Browser.

The configuration used by the KBOT Trojan will also specify what to do following the web injection. The malware will follow the typical behavior by contacting a remote host using a secure connection which will be kept persistent for as long as possible. This will enable the remote attackers to take over control of the machines and/or install other threats when necessary.

During a detailed analysis of the acquired samples the specialists were able to extract a list of the possible commands:

DeleteFile — This will delete a specified file from the system.
UpdateFile — This will modify the contents of a given file with the supplied information.
UpdateInjects — This will update the injection configuration.
UpdateHosts — This will update the hosts file.
UpdateCore — This will pdate the main engine and the relevant configuration files.
Uninstall — This will remove the ransomware at request.
UpdateWormConfig — This action will update the file containing information about the relevant EXE file location.
UpdateBackconnectConfig — This will update the configuration file which will include a server list for reverse connections.
Load — This will load a designated file to the system. As a result spyware applications will be installed on the target computers.

Remove KBOT Effectively from Windows

In order to fully get rid of this Trojan, we advise you to follow the removal instructions underneath this article. They are made so that they help you to isolate and then delete the KBOT Trojan either manually or automatically. If manual removal represents difficulty for you, experts always advise to perform the removal automatically by running an anti-malware scan via specific software on your PC. Such anti-malware program aims to make sure that the KBOT is fully gone and your Windows OS stays safe against any future malware infections.

Martin Beltov

Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.

How to Remove KBOT Trojan from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove KBOT Trojan

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter's malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

1. Hold Windows key() + R

2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

Step 2: Uninstall KBOT Trojan and related software from Windows

Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:

1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

Step 3: Clean any registries, created by KBOT Trojan on your computer.

The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by KBOT Trojan there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.

IMPORTANT!
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.

Step 4: Scan for KBOT Trojan with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer

Get rid of KBOT Trojan from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall KBOT Trojan and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to KBOT Trojan:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to KBOT Trojan. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to KBOT Trojan. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

Go to Finder.
In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.

In case you cannot remove KBOT Trojan via Step 1 above:

In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as KBOT Trojan. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:

→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons

Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.

Step 2: Scan for and remove malware from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts, programs and malware, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.

Download

Combo Cleaner

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer

Remove KBOT Trojan from Google Chrome.

Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu

Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"

Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.

Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer

Erase KBOT Trojan from Mozilla Firefox.

Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window

Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.

Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"

Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer

Uninstall KBOT Trojan from Microsoft Edge.

Step 1: Start Edge browser.

Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.

Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".

Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.

Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer

Remove KBOT Trojan from Safari.

Step 1: Start the Safari app.

Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.

Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".

Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.

Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.

Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.

A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the KBOT Trojan will be removed.

How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.

Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.

Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer

Eliminate KBOT Trojan from Internet Explorer.

Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.

Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'

Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.

Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.

Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.

KBOT Trojan Removal Guide — Restore Your PC From Infections

Threat Summary

Remove KBOT Effectively from Windows

Martin Beltov

How to Remove KBOT Trojan from Windows.

Get rid of KBOT Trojan from Mac OS X.

Remove KBOT Trojan from Google Chrome.

Erase KBOT Trojan from Mozilla Firefox.

Uninstall KBOT Trojan from Microsoft Edge.

Remove KBOT Trojan from Safari.

Eliminate KBOT Trojan from Internet Explorer.

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