Downloaddining.com is a domain that has been associated with the Amadey stealer. The system regularly sends updates to its C2 server, providing information about the system and installed AV software. Additionally, it has the capability to load various payloads onto the victims' devices.
This malicious connection issue with computers can be attributed to the installation of harmful software or malware on the system.
Malicious domains in general
Downloaddining.com is widely regarded as an unsafe domain because its root URL does not direct users to a legitimate website and is linked to malicious activities.
Other usage of malicious domains
Malicious domains can serve as a command and control server (C2), which is the hostname or URL that hackers use to control an infected system.
Systems infected with malware can be controlled by sending commands and tasks through a malicious domain name.
These categories include the most severe types of domains that could potentially cause harm.
A number of the common domains in these categories are utilized to redirect users and showcase deceptive advertisements.
They deceive users into giving permission to show ads through web browser notifications.
Downloaddining.com threat behavior
Upon examination of Downloaddining.com, we have discovered that it often sends HTTP requests over to the browser.
Based on the connection to C2 networks, it appears that data may be transmitted from the computer to an unknown host network.
The domain in question appears to serve as a conduit for transferring stolen data to cybercriminals.
In addition, we found similar domains that are also connecting to the computer:
- Downloaddining.com
- Downloaddining2.com
- Downloaddining3.com
If you come across Downloaddining.com on your computer, there is a chance that you might notice some unauthorized attempts to access or hack your social media accounts from various locations.
For your own security, it is highly recommended that you promptly update your passwords using a separate device.
Furthermore, we discovered that it effortlessly launches the browser and directs to Downloaddining.com, even when it's not being utilized.
Antivirus software such as Malwarebytes and Bitdefender can quickly identify and block Downloaddining.com from accessing your computer. Therefore, your antivirus software might detect it several times during the day.
How Downloaddining.com infects a browser
As previously stated, we started encountering Downloaddining.com connections after installing malicious software on our malware testing environment.
Malicious software is often encountered on deceptive download pages. These pages trick you into thinking you're downloading something from an untrustworthy website, only to redirect you to a completely unrelated fake download page.
Usually, it is included with third-party installers that can be found in different program and application marketplaces. Make sure to read the installer thoroughly to prevent accidentally downloading any extra software.
Summary | |
---|---|
Malware name | Downloaddining.com |
Connected sites | Downloaddining.com, Downloaddining2.com, Downloaddining3.com |
Threat type | Malicious domain, C2, Stealer |
IP address | 45.140.19.240 |
Delivery network | Third-party installers, malicious payloads |
Malware behavior | Steal data from computer |
Damage | Potential malware infection |
This threat has the potential to steal data without the user's permission, which is a major concern. We must take immediate action to eliminate this threat in order to prevent any more stolen credentials.
Below are the official step-by-step instructions to prevent any harm caused by Downloaddining.com on your computer.
Downloaddining.com removal guide
You are in luck if you need help getting rid of Downloaddining.com from your computer.
The following malware removal instructions will show you how to do just that. Make sure to carefully follow the steps to make sure the threat is completely gone.
We considered the technical skills of the people who use the internet, so we made sure the steps are simple enough that even those who aren't tech-savvy could follow them.
Before you continue, make sure you have a backup of your data. If you don't, your files may be destroyed or lost while completing the instructions below. These kind of situations are uncommon, but we recommend doing so just in case.
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To remove Downloaddining.com from your browser, you only need to follow a simple three-step procedure:
Step 1: Delete malicious extensions
Step 3: Uninstall unwanted software
Step 1: Delete malicious extensions
Extensions can be the leading cause of Downloaddining.com causing issues with the browser. However, it may be difficult to remove them if certain browser policies are set to make it persist. It might disable the delete button which makes it hard to do so.
For this reason, we will first need to delete the policies it has set on the browser before attempting to remove unwanted extensions.
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
How to remove Google Chrome browser policies:
1. To do this, we will use Chrome Policy Remover. Download the Windows version by clicking here.
2. Proceed to download delete_chrome_policies.bat by clicking Download anyway.
3. Once the bat file has finished downloading, run it as administrator to begin removing unwanted policies set by the malware.
4. If the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented it from running, click Run anyway. This tool has been recommended enough times in the Google Chrome community therefore we can vouch that it is safe to run. (VirusTotal results of the Policy Remover.)
5. The command prompt will open up, it will close Chrome and delete certain malicious policies. Once the policies are removed, you can now close the command prompt and begin removing the extension.
How to delete unwanted extensions from Chrome:
1. Open Google Chrome and click the three horizontal dots on the upper-right corner of the screen.
2. From the dropdown menu, select Extensions and click Manage Extensions.
3. You should now be able to click the Remove button. Continue to do so in order to remove the unwanted extension from the browser. (For this example, we will be using Google Docs Offline.)
How to remove Mozilla Firefox browser policies:
1. Open the browser and type about:policies in the address bar.
2. Take note of the active policy names as shown on the screen.
3. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run command.
4. Type regedit and hit enter to open the Registry Editor.
5. Go to the following directory: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox
6. Delete the policies that matched the ones shown on the browser policy page earlier. With this, we can proceed with deleting the unwanted extension.
How to remove unwanted extensions from Firefox:
1. Open the Firefox browser and click the extension icon on the upper-right corner of the screen.
2. Click on the cog icon near the unwanted extension you want to install. From the dropdown menu, select Remove Extension. (We will be using a sample extension to demonstrate.)
How to delete browser policies set in Microsoft Edge:
1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Type in the following code and enter each line separately.
taskkill /im msedge.exe /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /f
reg delete "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /f
3. Once finished, close Command Prompt and we can begin removing the unwanted extension/s from the browser.
How to remove unwanted extensions from Microsoft Edge:
1. Open Microsoft Edge and click the Extensions icon on the top bar of the browser.
2. Click on Manage Extensions.
3. Find the unwanted extension and click Remove.
Step 2: Remove browser malware with AdwCleaner
AdwCleaner is a utility tool that is primarily used for cleaning adware and potentially unwanted applications (PUP) from the computer.
This program is also primarily used to find and remove malware that is targeted at the web browser.
Here's how to install and use AdwCleaner:
1. To start, download the latest version of AdwCleaner.
2. Once AdwCleaner has finished downloading (adwcleaner.exe), run the executable file.
3. If the User Account Control window pops up, click Yes to proceed with running the program.
4. Once the program has launched, agree to the End User License Agreement by clicking the I Agree button.
5. Click on the Scan Now button to begin scanning your computer for browser threats such as adware, PUPs, and more.
6. Wait for AdwCleaner to finish scanning the files on the system. This may take a while depending on how large the files on your device are, as well as your system's hardware capabilities.
7. Once the scan is complete, proceed to take action by following the on-screen instructions. Otherwise, if the scan shows a clean result, click Run Basic Repair to reset Winsock and other settings before finishing the process.
Step 3: Uninstall unwanted software
Another possible source of the Downloaddining.com redirect is malicious software. Such malware might be able to change browser settings in order to support the aforementioned browser threat.
As a result, you should check your computer for unknown programs that you did not install.
While the latest version of Windows allows you to accomplish this through the Add & Remove Programs section, it is still far simpler to use the Programs and Features page in the Control Panel.
The publisher name, the installation date, and the version number will all be displayed in a single grid screen, making it simpler to locate the malware. Here's how to do so:
1. Click on the Windows key to open the Start menu.
2. Type Control Panel in the provided search bar and select the first item from the search results.
3. Click on Programs and inside, select Programs and Features.
4. You will be presented with a list of programs currently installed on your computer.
5. Find programs you do not recognize and right-click the item then select Uninstall/Change from the dropdown menu.
We'll need to use a powerful uninstaller to do the dirty work for us if the software is stubborn and won't go away with normal approaches.
Fortunately, there are tools for this; Revo Uninstaller is a good uninstaller program made to tackle and remove uninstallable programs.
1. To start, download Revo Uninstaller by clicking here. Avoid downloading from third-party sources as they may contain additional bloatware upon installation.
2. On the download page, opt for the free version of Revo Uninstaller as it has all the features we need. Click on Free Download to begin downloading the setup file.
3. The revosetup.exe file would have started downloading. Click on it to start installing the software.
4. Revo Uninstaller setup would now begin and follow the typical setup procedure such as selecting your setup language, accepting the license agreement, and selecting the installation location. Once setup is ready click Install.
5. After the setup is finished, check the Launch Revo Uninstaller option to open the program upon closing the installer.
6. Once Revo Uninstaller has opened, it will show you the list of applications currently installed on the computer. Find the unwanted program/s, right-click it, and select Uninstall from the drop-down menu. (We will be using PC App Store to demonstrate.)
7. A confirmation message stating if you are sure you want to uninstall the said program, click Continue.
8. Follow the uninstallation instructions and this time, Revo Uninstaller would have forced the program to continue with the uninstallation compared to the previous attempt via Control Panel.
9. You will be notified that the software has been uninstalled, Revo Uninstaller will now conduct a preliminary examination and get rid of additional files and registries related to the unwanted program.
10. On the selection of Scanning modes, select Advanced to make sure everything is scanned without leaving a single directory unnoticed.
11. Wait for the scan to finish as Revo Uninstaller is checking for residual files and registries related to the suspicious program.
12. Revo Uninstaller may have found leftover Registry items, click Select All and proceed to delete them by clicking the Delete button next to it. After that, click Next.
13. It may have also found some leftover files and folders, simply do the same by clicking Select All and deleting them. Now click Finish and the uninstallation of the program is done.
Optional: Reset the browser to default settings
When it comes to browser-targeted malware, it will alter the browser settings for the threat to persist. Therefore simply changing the search engine back to default may not work in many cases.
If malware still persists, we should reset the web browser to its default settings from when it was first installed. This will get rid of all the configurations the browser threat has set.
Note: Resetting the browser will get rid of all the data except for saved bookmarks and passwords.
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
1. Open the Chrome browser and click the three horizontal dots at the upper-right corner of the screen.
2. On the dropdown menu, scroll down to the bottom and click Settings.
3. In the left sidebar, scroll down and find Reset settings.
4. Click on Reset settings to their original defaults.
5. A confirmation window will appear, click Reset settings to proceed.
1. Launch the Firefox browser and click the hamburger menu on the upper-right corner of the screen.
2. From the dropdown menu, scroll down and click on Help.
3. Inside the Firefox help menu, click More troubleshooting information.
4. Under Give Firefox a tune up, select Refresh Firefox… to reset the browser.
5. A confirmation window will appear, proceed by clicking Refresh Firefox.
1. Run Microsoft Edge and click on the three horizontal dots on the upper-right side of the screen.
2. From the dropdown menu, select Settings.
3. Open the hamburger menu, scroll down, and select Reset settings.
4. Inside Reset settings, click on Restore settings to their default values.
5. A confirmation window will appear, click Reset to proceed.
After the web browser has finished resetting, download the important extensions you previously used, and pin the tabs you once had. Set it the way it was previously configured before the malware infection.
Tips to keep your computer safe
As the saying goes: “The biggest vulnerability is the person behind the screen“
So, here are some tips and what you need to know in order to keep your device safe and malware-free in the long run.
Keep every software installed up to date
Make sure that all of the programs in your computer is up-to-date with the latest version released by the developer. The reason behind this is that these updates frequently tackle bugs and issues that malware actors often exploit.
The same goes for your computer's operating system, make sure Windows is up-to-date with the latest software update to prevent malware from exploiting a hidden vulnerability.
Avoid downloading files from unknown sources
One of the biggest sources of malware infection in a computer system is third-party installations. This happens when a user downloads a certain program from sources that are not the official download links. Some of the common types of sources where malware is present are torrent files, cracked software, and games.
Be careful with opening email attachments
Malware often disguises itself as resumes and quotations and threat actors often send thousands of these infected emails to company employees around the world in order to infiltrate their network.
Always check where your emails are coming from as there may be a chance that the project attachment you received via email did not actually come from a co-worker.
Do not visit unreputable websites
Avoid visiting websites that contain unfiltered advertisements such as illegal streaming websites, cracked software platforms, and links sent out to you by somebody you do not trust.
These sites are often linked to redirect chains that load once you click on an ad element on the page. Following this chain often leads to drive-by malware and phishing pages that an average user may eventually fail to notice.