RedLine Stealer
What is RedLine Stealer?
RedLine StealerA subscription Windows info-stealer that dominated 2020–2023 cybercrime markets, harvesting browser secrets, crypto wallets, and FTP/VPN credentials; its infrastructure was disrupted by Operation Magnus in October 2024.
RedLine Stealer is a .NET-based Windows information stealer sold on Russian-speaking forums from around 2020 and the most prolific commodity stealer of 2021–2023. Standard capabilities include extraction of saved browser passwords, cookies, autofill, and crypto-extension data from Chromium and Gecko browsers; cryptocurrency wallet files; FTP/VPN/Steam/Discord/Telegram credentials; system fingerprinting; and an exfiltration channel to operator-controlled control servers, often with logs sold further on 'cloud of logs' marketplaces (RussianMarket, 2easy, Genesis successors). RedLine was distributed via cracked software, malvertising, YouTube/SEO baits, malicious Office docs, GitHub releases, and bundled with loaders such as Smoke or PrivateLoader. Stolen RedLine logs underpinned a sizeable share of credential-stuffing and initial-access broker activity through 2023. In October 2024 the U.S. DOJ, Dutch police, Eurojust, Microsoft, ESET, and others ran Operation Magnus, seizing infrastructure for RedLine and its sibling Meta Stealer, charging the alleged developer Maxim Rudometov, and publishing samples that enabled global cleanup. Activity dropped sharply but did not disappear.
● Examples
- 01
An initial-access broker buys a 'log of logs' on RussianMarket, identifies a corporate VPN credential among the RedLine output, and resells access to a ransomware affiliate.
- 02
Operation Magnus seizes RedLine's control panel domains in October 2024, briefly halting the operation before sellers attempt to re-brand.
● Frequently asked questions
What is RedLine Stealer?
A subscription Windows info-stealer that dominated 2020–2023 cybercrime markets, harvesting browser secrets, crypto wallets, and FTP/VPN credentials; its infrastructure was disrupted by Operation Magnus in October 2024. It belongs to the Malware category of cybersecurity.
What does RedLine Stealer mean?
A subscription Windows info-stealer that dominated 2020–2023 cybercrime markets, harvesting browser secrets, crypto wallets, and FTP/VPN credentials; its infrastructure was disrupted by Operation Magnus in October 2024.
How does RedLine Stealer work?
RedLine Stealer is a .NET-based Windows information stealer sold on Russian-speaking forums from around 2020 and the most prolific commodity stealer of 2021–2023. Standard capabilities include extraction of saved browser passwords, cookies, autofill, and crypto-extension data from Chromium and Gecko browsers; cryptocurrency wallet files; FTP/VPN/Steam/Discord/Telegram credentials; system fingerprinting; and an exfiltration channel to operator-controlled control servers, often with logs sold further on 'cloud of logs' marketplaces (RussianMarket, 2easy, Genesis successors). RedLine was distributed via cracked software, malvertising, YouTube/SEO baits, malicious Office docs, GitHub releases, and bundled with loaders such as Smoke or PrivateLoader. Stolen RedLine logs underpinned a sizeable share of credential-stuffing and initial-access broker activity through 2023. In October 2024 the U.S. DOJ, Dutch police, Eurojust, Microsoft, ESET, and others ran Operation Magnus, seizing infrastructure for RedLine and its sibling Meta Stealer, charging the alleged developer Maxim Rudometov, and publishing samples that enabled global cleanup. Activity dropped sharply but did not disappear.
How do you defend against RedLine Stealer?
Defences for RedLine Stealer typically combine technical controls and operational practices, as detailed in the full definition above.
What are other names for RedLine Stealer?
Common alternative names include: RedLine, Meta Stealer (sibling).
● Related terms
- malware№ 591
Info Stealer
Malware that harvests credentials, cookies, tokens, crypto wallets, and other sensitive data from an infected device and exfiltrates it to the attacker.
- malware№ 254
Credential Stealer
Malware focused specifically on extracting passwords, hashes, and authentication tokens from an infected system or its memory.
- malware№ 708
Lumma Stealer
A subscription-priced Russian-speaking malware-as-a-service info-stealer that emerged in 2022 and became one of the top-three stealers worldwide by 2024, distributed primarily via ClickFix lures and crack sites.
- malware№ 1329
Vidar Stealer
A long-running C++ Windows info-stealer derived from the older Arkei family, active since 2018 and still distributed in 2024–2025 via cracks, malvertising, and ClickFix lures.
- defense-ops№ 597
Initial Access Broker (IAB)
A cybercrime specialist who obtains unauthorised access to corporate networks and sells that access to other criminals, especially ransomware affiliates.
- attacks№ 720
Malvertising
The use of online advertising networks to distribute malware, exploits, or scams via legitimate-looking ads served on trusted websites.
● See also
- № 998Raccoon Stealer