Tixanbot: what it is and how to remove it
Tixanbot or Backdoor.Tixanbot is an extremely dangerous backdoor that gives the remote attacker full unauthorized access to a compromised computer. As research has shown, this treat has been detected in the PCs that run diverse Windows versions, including Vista, XP, 7, 8, 8.1.
Facts checked October 7, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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Start the stepsTixanbot: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | Tixanbot |
| Type | Remote access trojan |
| Symptoms | An unknown program in Installed apps |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 3 more facts
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
|---|---|
| First seen | 26 April 2021 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
What Tixanbot is
Tixanbot or Backdoor.Tixanbot is an extremely dangerous backdoor that gives the remote attacker full unauthorized access to a compromised computer.
As research has shown, this treat has been detected in the PCs that run diverse Windows versions, including Vista, XP, 7, 8, 8.1.
What Tixanbot does on an infected PC
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
How does Tixanbot infection work and what for it is used?
Tixanbot can initiate various diverse activities on a contaminated computer.
Unfortunately, but none of its performances could be ignored or tolerated because they can lead to serious privacy-related issues.
Once Tixanbot virus infects the system, it can inject code into several legitimate system processes and files. Besides, it can download and install arbitrary applications, update the backdoor, change DNS settings on w web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer), attack remote hosts and obtain system information.
Not to mention, it can terminate running system services that are essential for PC's protection, close spyware removers, and delete registry entries that are related to firewalls, antivirus, and anti-spyware software. As a consequence, PC's security is violated so that serious computer infections could easily breach and inject into the Windows.
Security experts have also noticed that Tixanbot prevents people from accessing reputable security-related web sources by not opening the website and informing about supposed server problems. If you want to keep your computer protected and prevent serious damage that ransomware, keylogger, spyware, and similar threats can cause, you have to ensure a full security of your PC and block the entrance of such threats as Tixanbot virus.
How Tixanbot got on your PC
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
Tixanbot is spread via fake messages that are typically spread with the links to MSN contacts.
As soon as the user clicks on such a link, the backdoor is executed. After that, it installs a Windows startup key, corrupts settings that we have discussed above and starts corrupting PC's security ti ease exploitation for other cyber threats. Thus, if you have noticed that your computer works abnormally, check the system with , , and remove Backdoor.Tixanbot right away.
How to remove Tixanbot
Someone may have had remote control of the PC.
Cut the connection first, then remove the trojan and secure your accounts.
Step 1: Remove remote access tools and lock the attacker out
Attackers keep access through remote control tools and extra user accounts. Disconnect the PC from the internet, then remove every remote access program you did not install yourself from the installed apps list in Windows 11 or Windows 10.
Look for a user account you do not know and delete it, and switch off Remote Desktop in Settings > System. Reconnect only for the scan.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 2: Delete scheduled tasks that bring it back
Programs like Tixanbot add a scheduled task so they return after an uninstall or reopen a page at every sign-in. Start Task Scheduler, open Task Scheduler Library and sort by Last Run Time to see what ran recently.
On the Actions tab, a program in a user folder, a script or a web address is a warning sign; right-click such a task and choose Delete.
Tasks with names copying Google, Edge or Windows updaters but pointing to an odd folder are typical. The tool looks the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Windows 11: Task Scheduler Library, the task selected, the Actions tab shows the file it runs. Full procedure with screenshots: Remove what malware leaves behind in Windows
Step 3: Remove it from startup
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and select Startup apps (Windows 11) or the Startup tab (Windows 10). Disable entries you do not recognise, especially ones with no publisher or with a name that copies a Windows component.
Right-click an entry and choose Open file location to see where it runs from: programs in
%AppData%or%Temp%deserve a closer look. Some entries are not listed there but in the registry Run keys, which the procedure below shows how to check.Full procedure with screenshots: Stop apps from opening at startup On uGetFix
Step 4: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
A scan finds the parts of Tixanbot that the manual steps cannot see. In Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, start a Full scan and quarantine what it reports.
Follow it with Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) > Scan now, which restarts the PC and checks the disk while Windows and the malware are not running.
It takes about 15 minutes and works the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10. If either scan finds something, run the full scan again after removal until it comes back clean.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Step 5: Change passwords from another device and sign out other sessions
Tixanbot can copy saved passwords, cookies and session tokens and send them out in seconds, so cleaning the PC does not undo the theft.
Change your passwords on a device that was never infected, starting with the e-mail account, since every other reset goes through it. On each account, end all other sessions and check the recovery e-mail, phone number and forwarding rules.
Then turn on two-step verification. Sign in on the Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC again only after the offline scan is clean.
Full procedure with screenshots: Turn on two-step verification / secure a hacked account
After removal: passwords, accounts and prevention
Your passwords after Tixanbot
Removing Tixanbot does not undo what it may already have sent out while the PC showed tixanbot in the list of installed apps.
Treat saved browser passwords and logged-in sessions on this PC as known to the attacker.
From another device, change the e-mail password first and end all its sessions. Then do the same for the bank, PayPal, Microsoft, Google and Apple accounts. Stolen session cookies keep working after a password change until you sign out everywhere.
Move crypto to a new wallet created on a clean device. A step-by-step order for every kind of account is in our guide to account security after an infection.
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files.
More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
Questions about Tixanbot
Is Tixanbot a virus?
Most programs that appear the way Tixanbot did are not viruses in the strict sense. They are potentially unwanted programs:
- real software that arrives bundled with other downloads and then shows offers
- changes browser settings
- starts with Windows
Some are harmless, some are annoying and a few carry adware. What makes it worth removing is that you did not choose it.
Uninstall it from Installed apps and check the startup list and the browsers for anything added the same day. If it refuses to uninstall or returns after a restart, treat it as more serious and run a Microsoft Defender offline scan.
How do I stop programs like Tixanbot from being installed again?
Most unwanted programs arrive through installers, so the fix is in how you install software. Download programs from their official sites or the Microsoft Store, not from download portals or ads above search results. During setup, choose Custom or Advanced installation and untick every extra offer, including browsers, toolbars and optimizers.
Decline update prompts that appear inside other programs unless you know them. In Windows Security, turn on reputation-based protection and potentially unwanted app blocking. These steps would most likely have stopped Tixanbot before it reached the app list.
How dangerous is Tixanbot?
Treat it as serious until proven otherwise. The visible sign is tixanbot in the list of installed apps, and programs that behave this way often have more abilities than they show:
- copying passwords
- downloading other malware
- giving remote access
Its family is not known yet, so nobody can say which of these it uses. The good news is that the response is the same in every case and takes about an hour:
- cut the network
- remove the startup entry
- run an offline scan
- change passwords from a clean device
If someone had remote control, a full reset is safer.
How do I know if my PC has Tixanbot?
Often you do not, which is the point of a trojan. Possible signs are an antivirus alert naming Tixanbot or a generic trojan detection, unknown programs or scheduled tasks, processes with random names in Task Manager, browser extensions you did not add, security settings turned off, slower performance, or account alerts about logins from unknown places.
The reliable check is a full scan followed by Microsoft Defender's offline scan. If you recently ran a crack, a fake installer or a command a website told you to paste, scan even without symptoms.
Do I need to reinstall Windows to get rid of Tixanbot?
Usually not. A thorough clean-up is enough when the offline scan finds nothing afterwards and you do not see tixanbot in the list of installed apps again. A reset is the safer choice if an attacker had remote control, if security tools were switched off, or if detections come back after every clean-up.
Windows 11 can reset itself without a USB stick under Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC. Copy documents and photos out first and scan the copies. A reset does not change passwords or undo stolen data, so the account steps still apply.
Should I report Tixanbot?
Report it if you lost money, if accounts were taken over, if you are a business, or if the trojan came through a scam call. A police or national cybercrime report gives you a reference number for your bank and insurer and helps link cases.
You do not need to report a trojan that antivirus blocked before it ran. Before reporting, write down the dates, the detection name, file names and any messages or transactions linked to the attack; screenshots of antivirus alerts are useful evidence. The country list is in the report section above.
Should I check my other computers too?
Yes, it takes little time and removes doubt. Tixanbot itself usually stays on one PC, but the download that carried it may have been copied to other computers, shared drives may hold the same installer, and an attacker who had access could have tried saved passwords on other devices.
Run a full scan on every Windows PC in the home or office, check shared folders for the original download, and change Wi-Fi and router passwords if they were stored on the infected machine.
I found AnyDesk or ScreenConnect that I did not install. Is that Tixanbot?
Not necessarily Tixanbot, but it is a warning sign. These are legitimate remote support tools, and criminals use them as ready-made backdoors, especially after tech support scams or fake invoice calls.
If you did not install it and no one you trust set it up, uninstall it, change passwords from a clean device and check your bank account. If someone connected to your PC through it, follow the steps for remote access trojans and consider a Windows reset. Installed apps sorted by date shows when it appeared.
My antivirus was on. How did a trojan get past it?
Antivirus programs see a file only when it is written or run, and criminals test each new build against popular scanners before release. Detection catches up within hours or days, which is often after the first victims ran it.
Archives with passwords, installers that fetch the malware later, and scripts run through PowerShell make the job harder. That is why behaviour such as downloading cracks or pasting commands matters more than any setting. Keep Windows and Defender updated, and turn on Reputation-based protection in App & browser control.
Will Fortect remove Tixanbot?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For Tixanbot, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 7, 2026)