Do not trust the fake download web page for the PayPal desktop app

What is PayPal Desktop App scam?

PayPal is an American company operating a worldwide online payments system. Cyber criminals commonly exploit names of well-known companies, products and services for malicious purposes. In this particular case, they use a fake download website for the PayPal desktop application to trick users into downloading an installer for malicious software.

At the time of research, this website downloaded the installer for RedLine Stealer.

RedLine Stealer is malware that can be used by cyber criminals as a tool to steal sensitive information and infect operating systems with other malware. This malware is capable of gathering information such as logins, passwords, autofill data, cookies and credit card details from all Gecko-based and Chromium-based web browsers.

This information can be misused for various malicious purposes. For example, to steal personal accounts (email, social media, banking-related, and other accounts), make fraudulent purchases, transactions, and so on. It can also be used to install additional malware onto computers.

 For example, ransomware-type programs, cryptocurrency miners, and Trojans. Therefore, victims of RedLine Stealer attacks could lose access to various accounts, become victims of identity theft, suffer data/monetary loss, and encounter serious issues relating to online privacy, browsing safety, etc.

Note that this fake download website for the PayPal desktop app could be used to trick users into installing RedLine Stealer and other malicious programs.

Threat Summary:

Name	RedLine Stealer
Disguise	Download website for PayPal desktop application.
Distributed Malware	At the time of research, RedLine Stealer.
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware.
Detection Names (Spindrift.exe)	Avast (Win32:MalwareX-gen [Trj]), BitDefender (Gen:Variant.Spider.1), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of MSIL/TrojanDownloader.Agent.GTP), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan-Spy.MSIL.Stealer.vho), Microsoft (Trojan:Win32/Tiggre!rfn), Full List (VirusTotal).
Malicious Process Name(s)	AddInProcess.exe (its name might vary).
Symptoms	Information stealing malware is designed to stealthily infiltrate the victim's computer and remain silent, and thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine.
Distribution methods	Malicious websites, infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software 'cracks'.
Damage	Stolen passwords and banking information, identity theft, the victim's computer added to a botnet.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Cyber criminals often create websites to appear as official pages of legitimate companies, organizations and other entities. They use these sites to trick visitors into installing malicious software or providing sensitive information. Note that none of the legitimate, official web pages for these entities have anything to do with fake, deceptive sites.

Some examples of other unofficial, malicious or untrusted pages similar to official sites are "Among Us Free Items" and "Game Booster".

Commonly, users do not visit these pages intentionally - they arrive at them after clicking deceptive ads, visiting other untrusted pages, or when they have potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), which promote the sites, installed on browsers and/or operating systems.

How did malware infiltrate my computer?

In this particular case, cyber criminals distribute malware via a fake download website for the PayPal application. Note also that malware (including ransomware) is usually distributed via malspam campaigns, unofficial software activation ('cracking') tools, Trojans, dubious file/software download sources, and fake software updating tools.

When cyber criminals attempt to distribute malware via malspam campaigns, they send emails that contain malicious attachments or download links for malicious files. Typically, they disguise their emails as official and important. If recipients open the attached file (or a file downloaded via a website link), they cause installation of malicious software.

Cyber criminals commonly attach executable files (.exe), archive files such as RAR, ZIP, PDF documents, JavaScript files and Microsoft Office documents to their emails. Software 'cracking' tools supposedly activate licensed software illegally (bypass activation), however, they often install malicious programs and do not activate any legitimate installed software.

Trojans are other rogue programs that can cause chain infections. I.e., when a Trojan is installed on the operating system, it can install additional malware. Free file hosting websites, freeware download websites, Peer-to-Peer networks (e.g., torrent clients, eMule), unofficial websites, and third party downloaders are examples of other sources that are used to distribute malware.

Cyber criminals disguise malicious files as legitimate and regular. When users download and open them, they inadvertently infect their computers with malware. Fake software updating tools install malicious software rather than updates/fixes for installed programs, or they exploit bugs/flaws of outdated software that is installed on the operating system.

How to avoid installation of malware

To avoid malware spread via spam mail, you are strongly advised against opening suspicious or irrelevant emails, especially those with any attachments or links present within them. Additionally, use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010.

Malicious programs also proliferate through untrusted download channels (e.g. unofficial and free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders), illegal software activation ("cracking") tools, and fake updaters.

Therefore, only download from official/verified sources and activate and update software with tools/functions provided by legitimate developers. To ensure device integrity and user privacy, have a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and kept updated.

Furthermore, use these programs to run regular system scans and to remove detected/potential threats. 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.

RedLine Stealer running in Task Manager as "AddInProcess.exe" (its name might vary):

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is PayPal Desktop App scam?
• STEP 1. Manual removal of RedLine Stealer malware.
• STEP 2. Check if your computer is clean.

How to remove malware manually?

Manual malware removal is a complicated task - usually it is best to allow antivirus or anti-malware programs to do this automatically. To remove this malware we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. If you wish to remove malware manually, the first step is to identify the name of the malware that you are trying to remove.

Here is an example of a suspicious program running on a user's computer:

If you checked the list of programs running on your computer, for example, using task manager, and identified a program that looks suspicious, you should continue with these steps:

Download a program called Autoruns. This program shows auto-start applications, Registry, and file system locations:

Restart your computer into Safe Mode:

Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Start your computer in Safe Mode. Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, click OK. During your computer start process, press the F8 key on your keyboard multiple times until you see the Windows Advanced Option menu, and then select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.

Video showing how to start Windows 7 in "Safe Mode with Networking":

Windows 8 users: Start Windows 8 is Safe Mode with Networking - Go to Windows 8 Start Screen, type Advanced, in the search results select Settings. Click Advanced startup options, in the opened "General PC Settings" window, select Advanced startup. Click the "Restart now" button. Your computer will now restart into the "Advanced Startup options menu".

Click the "Troubleshoot" button, and then click the "Advanced options" button. In the advanced option screen, click "Startup settings". Click the "Restart" button. Your PC will restart into the Startup Settings screen. Press F5 to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.

Video showing how to start Windows 8 in "Safe Mode with Networking":

Windows 10 users: Click the Windows logo and select the Power icon. In the opened menu click "Restart" while holding "Shift" button on your keyboard. In the "choose an option" window click on the "Troubleshoot", next select "Advanced options". In the advanced options menu select "Startup Settings" and click on the "Restart" button.

In the following window you should click the "F5" button on your keyboard. This will restart your operating system in safe mode with networking.

Video showing how to start Windows 10 in "Safe Mode with Networking":

 

Extract the downloaded archive and run the Autoruns.exe file.

In the Autoruns application, click "Options" at the top and uncheck "Hide Empty Locations" and "Hide Windows Entries" options. After this procedure, click the "Refresh" icon.

Check the list provided by the Autoruns application and locate the malware file that you want to eliminate.

You should write down its full path and name. Note that some malware hides process names under legitimate Windows process names. At this stage, it is very important to avoid removing system files. After you locate the suspicious program you wish to remove, right click your mouse over its name and choose "Delete".

After removing the malware through the Autoruns application (this ensures that the malware will not run automatically on the next system startup), you should search for the malware name on your computer. Be sure to enable hidden files and folders before proceeding. If you find the filename of the malware, be sure to remove it.

Reboot your computer in normal mode. Following these steps should remove any malware from your computer. Note that manual threat removal requires advanced computer skills. If you do not have these skills, leave malware removal to antivirus and anti-malware programs.

These steps might not work with advanced malware infections. As always it is best to prevent infection than try to remove malware later. To keep your computer safe, install the latest operating system updates and use antivirus software.

To be sure your computer is free of malware infections, we recommend scanning it with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

▼ Show Discussion