Infected by a Coin Miner virus? Read this guide! It has all the information you need to get rid of any cryptocurrency miner malware.
What Is Coin Miner Malware?
Coin Miner (Cryptocurrency Miner) is a type of malware, whose end goal is to use your GPU and CPU power to generate tokens for the cryptocurrency wallet of the cyber-criminals and the outcome of this is not good, since your PC slows down, freezes and may even crash at some point.
Thus, if you believe that your computer has been infected by a such a file, we recommend you to learn more about those threats and how to detect and remove them, preferably by reading the following article.
Coin Miner Details
| Type | Cryptocurrency Token Mining malware / Trojan |
| Symptoms | High CPU and GPU utilization plus your PC may overheat, slow down and even break down. |
| Removal Time | 5 Minutes |
| Detection Tool |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Coin Miner. |
How Does It Spread?
Such infections have continued to evolve adding new technologies to them that enable them to not only act as a Worm to infect as many devices as possible,. Besides this the usage of JavaScript has further evolved and become more sophisticated with RAT features in some infections, like the Webmine.pro JavaScript viruses.
Additionally, these threats have begin to imimtate system processes very well.
There may be more than one possible method of infecting computers with such threats. The most often used methods are intermediary files, such as Trojans, Injectors, Worms, malicious JavaScript and several others. These malicious files or code may infect a given victim via several different ways, the main of which often turn out to be:
- “>Malicious web links that are posted as spam messages online.
- “>Via web links that can exist in various different types of forms, form the likes of fake buttons, changed banners on sites or if you already have a PUP installed on your device.
- “>If you have opened a malicious e-mail which contains a convincing message and a malicious attachment.
The infection files themselves may have embedded exploits or other methods that allow them to be activated in an obfuscated manner while being undetected on the computers of victims. Such files may also be concealed as fake setups, key generators or other types unwanted types of files that exist on the victim’s machine.
How to Protect Yourself?
To best help you protect yourself against such threats in the future, you can follow the tips we have provided below:
Be advised that despite following many guidelines and protection tips, like the ones we have linked below, the best method to remove Coin Miner viruses and to detect them before they have even been activated is to use and advanced anti-malware protection. Such software will help you automatically remove any Coin Mining virus by scanning your PC for it’s definitions and your PC immediately becomes protected against being infected by such viruses in the future as well.
- Run programs in sandbox.
- Install advanced anti-malware protection.
- Keep everything updated, especially your web browsers.
- Install ad-blocker software.
- Be very careful on how you open e-mails.
- Disable macros in Microsoft Office.
- Disable JavaScript if you are not using it.
- Keep your firewall and automatic updates on at all times.
How to Detect and Remove a Coin Miner
The viruses have multiple different methods by which they are slithered on your computer. Some of them mine while remain filelessly on your Mac or PC, and some of them run suspicious executable processes as a system task in the background.
If you have a high usage of your GPU or CPU components, recommendations are to immediately follow the removal instructions below to detect and remove such viruses, after which change all of your credentials as well (passwords, account names, e-mails, etc.).
For the best results, it is strongly recommended to use a professional anti-malware software to get rid of the threats by running a full system scan.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.
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Preparation before removing Coin Miner.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
- Scan for Malware
- Fix Registries
- Remove Virus Files
Step 1: Scan for Coin Miner with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 2: Clean any registries, created by Coin Miner on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Coin Miner there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.Step 3: Find virus files created by Coin Miner on your PC.
1.For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC's screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be "fileextension:exe". After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navigation box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn't found it yet.
2.For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS's the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
Coin Miner FAQ
What Does Coin Miner Trojan Do?
The Coin Miner Trojan is a malicious computer program designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system. It can be used to steal sensitive data, gain control over a system, or launch other malicious activities.
Can Trojans Steal Passwords?
Yes, Trojans, like Coin Miner, can steal passwords. These malicious programs are designed to gain access to a user's computer, spy on victims and steal sensitive information such as banking details and passwords.
Can Coin Miner Trojan Hide Itself?
Yes, it can. A Trojan can use various techniques to mask itself, including rootkits, encryption, and obfuscation, to hide from security scanners and evade detection.
Can a Trojan be Removed by Factory Reset?
Yes, a Trojan can be removed by factory resetting your device. This is because it will restore the device to its original state, eliminating any malicious software that may have been installed. Bear in mind that there are more sophisticated Trojans that leave backdoors and reinfect even after a factory reset.
Can Coin Miner Trojan Infect WiFi?
Yes, it is possible for a Trojan to infect WiFi networks. When a user connects to the infected network, the Trojan can spread to other connected devices and can access sensitive information on the network.
Can Trojans Be Deleted?
Yes, Trojans can be deleted. This is typically done by running a powerful anti-virus or anti-malware program that is designed to detect and remove malicious files. In some cases, manual deletion of the Trojan may also be necessary.
Can Trojans Steal Files?
Yes, Trojans can steal files if they are installed on a computer. This is done by allowing the malware author or user to gain access to the computer and then steal the files stored on it.
Which Anti-Malware Can Remove Trojans?
Anti-malware programs such as SpyHunter are capable of scanning for and removing Trojans from your computer. It is important to keep your anti-malware up to date and regularly scan your system for any malicious software.
Can Trojans Infect USB?
Yes, Trojans can infect USB devices. USB Trojans typically spread through malicious files downloaded from the internet or shared via email, allowing the hacker to gain access to a user's confidential data.
About the Coin Miner Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Coin Miner how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific trojan problem.
How did we conduct the research on Coin Miner?
Please note that our research is based on an independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware definitions, including the various types of trojans (backdoor, downloader, infostealer, ransom, etc.)
Furthermore, the research behind the Coin Miner threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand the threat posed by trojans, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.