Plasma RAT Removal Guide

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Category: Trojans

The malicious Plasma RAT can slither into your Windows operating system in a number of ways. According to our malware research team, the infection could be distributed using exploit kits and social-engineering scams. Its installer could also be introduced to you as something else – for example, a harmless application – and it could come bundled with other attractive programs. It could also be dropped onto your computer using phishing attacks. The distribution varies because there are many different versions of this malicious Remote Administration Trojan that are built by unknown cyber criminals. The source code of this infection can be downloaded by anyone. Although it looks like criminals need to pay for this code, it was revealed that, at one point, it was leaked online and was available for free. Needless to say, the parties using this malware are not well-wishing, and they are using the Trojan to get something. In this report, we discuss all of the reasons why deleting Plasma RAT is important. If you want to learn about the threat and its removal, continue reading.

When the malicious Plasma RAT slithers into the operating system, it can use many different elements with unique names and locations. According to our analysis, the most common locations for the threat are %WINDIR%\System32 and %WINDIR%\SysWOW64. This is where the copies of the original launchers should be placed. The names of the files can be completely random, or they can be named after real Windows components, such as appsvc.exe. The files can be hidden, and so the user might have to enable the “Show hidden files” feature in the Folder Options menu. When removing Plasma RAT, you would, of course, also need to modify the Windows Registry. The threat is likely to create RUN and RUNONCE keys, but other registries could be added or modified as well. It all depends on the version of the infection. One of the things that all Trojan versions are likely to have in common is the debugger function. The threat creates a key in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\ and adds the “Debugger” entry with the data being the path to an .exe file. By doing this, the infection can block antivirus software, and that is why the it might not have been deleted even with AV tools installed.

Every version of the Plasma RAT infection can be used in unique ways. For example, the infection could be used to place a crypto-currency miner. It can be used to mine virtual money for cyber criminals, and although that might not harm you personally, it could slow down your computer speeds dramatically and even cause abrupt crashes. Besides that, Plasma RAT could also hijack your camera, microphone, and record your keystrokes and capture screenshots. The data obtained in this manner could be used to terrorize you, push you into paying ransoms, or to steal your virtual identity and use your personal accounts to spread malware, expose your friends to scams, or to make illicit transactions via online banking. It is hard to say how exactly the infection could be used in your case, but, of course, you should not expect anything good. Do not take any risks and delete this infection right away. First, of course, you need to uncover this threat, and if your AV software is disabled, and the threat runs completely silently, detecting this threat might be extremely difficult.

If you ever get the sense that something is not right within your operating system, scanning it is the right move. Install a legitimate malware scanner, and you will learn very quickly if or not you need to delete anything malicious. In this case, of course, we are focusing on the removal of Plasma RAT, but because this threat can be used to download and execute other infections, their possible existence cannot be ignored either. Removing all threats that are active on your system can be very difficult, and since you do not want to make any critical mistakes, installing an anti-malware tool that can erase everything malicious automatically is recommended. If you decide to move on manually, you have to make sure that every single malicious element is erased. Note that the guide below only shows some of the potential malware locations.

How to delete Plasma RAT

  1. Start Task Manager (simultaneously tap keys Ctrl+Alt+Delete and choose the tool).
  2. In the Processes tab End all malicious processes, but, first, right-click them and select Open File Location to access the malicious .exe files.
  3. Once you end the malicious processes, Delete the malicious .exe files.
  4. Go to %WINDIR%\SysWOW64 and %WINDIR%\System32 directories to check for copies. Delete them.
  5. Simultaneously tap keys Win+R to launch RUN.
  6. Type regedit.exe into the dialog box and click OK to access Registry Editor.
  7. Delete malicious valuesin these paths:
    • HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    • HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
    • HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    • HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
  8. Once you eliminate all malicious elements, do not forget to run a legitimate malware scanner one more time. Make sure all leftovers are eliminated.
Download Remover for Plasma RAT *
*SpyHunter scanner, published on this site, is intended to be used only as a detection tool. To use the removal functionality, you will need to purchase the full version of SpyHunter.

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