Mars Stealer Malware

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Mars Stealer

Mars Stealer is a Trojan virus that can silently attack any computer with almost no symptoms and then take over critical system processes. Mars Stealer can disguise its own processes as system-related ones, thus avoiding detection during the time it is completing its malicious tasks.

Mars Stealer
Cybercriminals behind the Mars Stealer malware take all possible measures to hide their malicious program 

It is not always possible to easily detect and remove a Trojan Horse infection such as Mars Stealer because the cybercriminals behind such malware take all possible measures to hide their malicious program and its harmful actions inside the infected system. Usually, it is very tricky to isolate the potential symptoms of a computer compromised with a Trojan Horse since most of the possible symptoms can be attributed to other hardware or software issues. However, there are several red flags that may suggest that your computer has been secretly invaded by a threat like Mars Stealer:

  • You may start to receive strange error messages when trying to load some programs on your computer which messages say that certain system files are missing or damaged.
  • Some of the applications that you have on your system may star to freeze for a while or stop to respond.
  • You may notice that your access to popular security sites (antivirus sites, etc.) has been blocked.
  • You may get numerous pop-ups on your screen or some strange messages that notify you about different unknown activities.
  • Strange, unknown toolbars or some new applications and add-ons may appear at the top of the browser or on your desktop.
  • Your computer may become slower than usual.
  • Your system may temporarily or permanently freeze.
  • The computer may restart on its own or shut down without a warning.
  • You may notice that you cannot access the control panel, the task manager, the registry editor or the command prompt panel.
  • Your antivirus program may fail to run a scan.

If you have noticed any of the above described symptoms, it is highly recommended that you follow the next guide to check your computer and remove the potential infection that might have entered your system. Keep in mind, though, that even if you are not facing any visible issues, a Trojan like Mars Stealer or CryptoStealBTC may still be hiding in the system and that’s why it is a good idea to run a full scan with a reliable malware removal tool.

Some types of Trojans may not allow you to launch a security program or block all attempts to run a system scan in order to prevent their detection and removal. If this is your case  and Mars Stealer is blocking your attempts to scan your system with your current antivirus software, we suggest you use the manual instructions in the removal guide above and then try to run a scan with the professional removal tool presented in the guide. It is very important to carefully remove the malicious code as soon as you notice it’s presence because this will prevent the Trojan from performing its criminal deeds. And trust us, such a malware program can harm the entire computer in a really bad way.

The Mars Stealer Malware

For instance, the criminals may use a threat like the Mars Stealer malware for harmful activities like theft of sensitive information and credentials, passwords, banking details, etc., as well as espionage, corruption of system files, deletion of certain data and even remote access to the attacked computer. Sometimes, the Mars Stealer malware may serve as a backdoor to other viruses and threats like Ransomware and Rootkits. Therefore, the sooner you take actions to eliminate it, the better.

SUMMARY:

NameMars Stealer
TypeTrojan
Danger Level High (Trojans are often used as a backdoor for Ransomware)
Symptoms System errors or unusual issues with the performance may eventually indicate the presence of a Trojan.
Distribution Method Most often this software is distributed via malvertising, spam, malicious attachments and illegal websites. 
Detection Tool

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Remove Mars Stealer Malware

If you are looking for a way to remove Mars Stealer you can try this:

  1. Click on the Start button in the bottom left corner of your Windows OS.
  2. Go to Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Uninstall a Program.
  3. Search for Mars Stealer and any other unfamiliar programs.
  4. Uninstall Mars Stealer as well as other suspicious programs.

Note that this might not get rid of Mars Stealer completely. For more detailed removal instructions follow the guide below.

If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.

If you have a Mac virus, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.

If you have an Android virus, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.

If you have an iPhone virus, please use our iPhone Virus Removal guide


Step1

Some of the steps will likely require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.

Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).

Step2

WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!

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Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC at the same time and go to the Processes Tab. Try to determine which processes are dangerous. 

malware-start-taskbar

Right click on each of them and select Open File Location. Then scan the files with our free online virus scanner:

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    After you open their folder, end the processes that are infected, then delete their folders. 

    Note: If you are sure something is part of the infection – delete it, even if the scanner doesn’t flag it. No anti-virus program can detect all infections. 

    Step3

     

    Hold together the Start Key and R. Type appwiz.cpl –> OK.

    appwiz

     

    You are now in the Control Panel. Look for suspicious entries. Uninstall it/them. If you see a screen like this when you click Uninstall, choose NO:

    virus-removal1

     

    Step4

     

    Type msconfig in the search field and hit enter. A window will pop-up:

    msconfig_opt

     

    Startup —> Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer or otherwise look suspicious.

    • Remember this step – if you have reason to believe a bigger threat (like ransomware) is on your PC, check everything here.

    Hold the Start Key and R –  copy + paste the following and click OK:

    notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts

    A new file will open. If you are hacked, there will be a bunch of other IPs connected to you at the bottom. Look at the image below:

    hosts_opt (1)

     

    If there are suspicious IPs below “Localhost” – write to us in the comments.

    Step5

     

    Type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter.

    Once inside, press CTRL and F together and type the virus’s Name. Right click and delete any entries you find with a similar name. If they don’t show up this way, go manually to these directories and delete/uninstall them:

    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory. It could be any one of them – ask us if you can’t discern which ones are malicious.
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random

    If the guide doesn’t help, download the anti-virus program we recommended or try our free online virus scanner. Also, you can always ask us in the comments for help!

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    About the author

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    Brandon Skies

    Brandon is a researcher and content creator in the fields of cyber-security and virtual privacy. Years of experience enable him to provide readers with important information and adequate solutions for the latest software and malware problems.

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