How to remove Star Blizzard

What is Star Blizzard

Star Blizzard is a notorious Russian cyber threat actor known for its sophisticated spear-phishing campaigns, primarily targeting government and diplomatic entities. Operating under various aliases like SEABORGIUM, BlueCharlie, and COLDRIVER, they have been active since at least 2012, consistently adapting their tactics to evade detection. This group is infamous for credential-harvesting operations, often employing spear-phishing emails with malicious links designed to steal sensitive login credentials. Recently, Star Blizzard has shifted its focus to WhatsApp, using deceptive QR codes to exploit account-linking features and gain unauthorized access to victim accounts. This evolution in tactics underscores the group’s adaptability in maintaining their cyber espionage activities despite increased scrutiny from global cybersecurity efforts. Their targets often include individuals involved in defense policy and international relations, particularly those with connections to Ukraine amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions. As a persistent threat, Star Blizzard’s operations highlight the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures and heightened awareness among potential targets.

How Star Blizzard infected your system

Star Blizzard, a notorious Russian cyber threat actor, primarily employs spear-phishing tactics to infect computers and steal sensitive information. The group is known for crafting convincing emails that appear to be from legitimate sources, often targeting individuals in government, diplomacy, and defense sectors. These emails typically contain malicious links or attachments that, once clicked or opened, exploit vulnerabilities to install malware on the victim’s device. Star Blizzard’s attacks often leverage advanced techniques like Evilginx-powered pages to bypass Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), using an Adversary-in-The-Middle (AiTM) method to intercept credentials. Recently, they have adapted their strategy to include WhatsApp-based phishing, wherein victims are tricked into scanning QR codes that compromise their accounts. This evolution in tactics underscores the importance of vigilance and comprehensive cybersecurity measures to protect against such sophisticated threats.

1. Download Star Blizzard Removal Tool
2. Use Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool to remove Star Blizzard
3. Use Autoruns to remove Star Blizzard
4. Files, folders and registry keys of Star Blizzard
5. Other aliases of Star Blizzard
6. How to protect from threats, like Star Blizzard

Remove Star Blizzard manually

Manual removal of Star Blizzard by inexperienced users may become a difficult task because it does not create entries in Add/Remove Programs under Control Panel, does not install browser extensions, and uses random file names. However, there are pre-installed instruments in the Windows system, that allow you to detect and remove malware without using third-party applications. One of them is Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. It comes with Windows Update in Windows 11, 10, 8. 8.1. For older operating system you can download it here: 64-bit version | 32-bit version.

Remove Star Blizzard using Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool

1. Type mrt in the search box near Start Menu.
2. Run mrt clicking on found item.
3. Click Next button.
4. Choose one of the scan modes Quick scan, Full scan, Customize scan (Full scan recommended).
5. Click Next button.
6. Click on View detailed results of the scan link to view the scan details.
7. Click Finish button.

Remove Star Blizzard using Autoruns

Star Blizzard often sets up to run at Windows startup as an Autorun entry or Scheduled task.

1. Download Autoruns using this link.
2. Extract the archive and run Autoruns.exe file.
3. In Options menu make sure there are checkboxes near Hide Empty Locations, Hide Microsoft Entries, and Hide Windows Entries.
4. Search for suspicious entries with weird names or running from locations like: C:\{username}\AppData\Roaming.
5. Right-click on suspicious entry and choose Delete. This will prevent the threat to run at startup.
6. Switch to Scheduled Tasks tab and do the same.
7. To remove files themselves, click on suspicious entries and choose Jump to Entry…. Remove files or registry keys found.

Remove files, folder and registry keys of Star Blizzard

Star Blizzard files and folders


{randomname}.exe


Star Blizzard registry keys


no information


Aliases of Star Blizzard

How to protect from threats, like Star Blizzard, in future

Standard Windows protection or any decent third-party antivirus (Norton, Avast, Kaspersky) should be able to detect and remove Star Blizzard. However, if you got infected with Star Blizzard with existing and updated security software, you may consider changing it. To feel safe and protect your PC from Star Blizzard on all levels (browser, e-mail attachments, Word or Excel scripts, file system) we recommend a leading provider of internet security solutions – BitDefender. Its solutions both for home and business users proved to be one of the most advanced and effective. Choose and get your BitDefender protection via the button below:

Download BitDefender