Update August 2019. What is Cookie Miner? How to remove Cookie Miner? How to stop Cookie Miner from mining cryptocurrencies on your Mac?
Cookie Miner is a cryptocurrency miner Trojan that infects your Mac and begins to steal information, track your activity and mine for crypto. The mining processes may slow down your Mac and make it even stutter and freeze and if Cookie Miner remains for longer periods of time on your Mac it may even cause harm to it’s CPU (Processor) and GPU (graphics card), which can break it down. Read this article to learn how to remove Cookie Miner from your Mac.
Threat Summary
| Name | Cookie Miner |
| Type | Miner Trojan for Mac OS |
| Short Description | Aims to slither on your Mac silently and perform Trojan and Cryptocurrency Mining activities. |
| Symptoms | Your Mac may slow down significantly and you may start to see several different unfamiliar processes running in the background. |
| Distribution Method | Via suspicious downloads, virus URLs or malicious e-mail spam. |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
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Combo Cleaner
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Cookie Miner. |
Cookie Miner – How Did I Get It and What Does It Do?
CookieMiner is malware which aims to steal the private data of users and open a backdoor on the infected Macs after which downloads and also runs a cryptocurrency miner.
It can infect your computer via the following methods;
- If you have opened a virus file being attached to an e-mail, where it pretends to be legitimate document.
- If you have downloaded the virus file online, where it pretends to be an app or some other program.
- If you have been redirected to a virus infection URL as a result of visiting a low-reputation site or having adware on your Mac.
Either way, once it has been installed on your computer, the Cookie Miner may begin to perform the following activities:
- Obtain your cookies information from Chrome and Safari.
- Obtain Usernames and Passwords saved on your web browsers.
- Steal your financial data (Credit card information).
- Obtain messages from your iPhone and other call log data that was backed up in your iTunes.
- Download and install other viruses via the backdoor.
- Run the cryptocurrency miner program.
Cookie Miner has the capability of stealing data from the following credit cards:
- Visa.
- AMEX.
- Mastercard.
- Discover.
For remote control, Cookie Miner virus will download EmPyre, which is a control tool for Mac, that can tap into your camera, microphone and relay screenshots from your desktop and send them to the hackers as CheckPoint researchers report.
The crypto miner program of Cookie Miner may connect to a coin mining pool and it’s main goal is to connect your Mac to a cryptocurrency mining pool. This pool of infected computers aims to generate BitCoin or other anonymous cryptocurrencies by using their resources. So without you even noticing, the crooks make money by overusing your Mac silently. The only thing giving it away is that your Mac becomes significantly slower.
Remove Cookie Miner Trojan from Your Mac
In order to remove this malware from your Mac, we strongly suggest that you read the instructions in this article. They have been made with the sole purpose to help you delete this virus from your Mac effectively step by step. For maximum effectiveness, we strongly advise that you download and run a scan of your Mac with a professional malware cleaner for mac. Such software aims to automatically detect all objects on your Mac and erase them thoroughly.
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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Steps to Prepare Before Removal:
Before starting to follow the steps below, be advised that you should first do the following preparations:
- Backup your files in case the worst happens.
- Make sure to have a device with these instructions on standy.
- Arm yourself with patience.
- 1. Scan for Mac Malware
- 2. Uninstall Risky Apps
- 3. Clean Your Browsers
Step 1: Scan for and remove Cookie Miner files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Cookie Miner, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Quick and Easy Mac Malware Video Removal Guide
Bonus Step: How to Make Your Mac Run Faster?
Mac machines maintain probably the fastest operating system out there. Still, Macs do become slow and sluggish sometimes. The video guide below examines all of the possible problems that may lead to your Mac being slower than usual as well as all of the steps that can help you to speed up your Mac.
Step 2: Uninstall Cookie Miner and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:
3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to Cookie Miner:
4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.
5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to Cookie Miner. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.
6. Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to Cookie Miner. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
7. Remove any leftover files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Cookie Miner via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
1. Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:
2. Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:
3. Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as Cookie Miner. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 3: Remove Cookie Miner – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox
Cookie Miner-FAQ
What is Cookie Miner on your Mac?
The Cookie Miner threat is probably a potentially unwanted app. There is also a chance it could be related to Mac malware. If so, such apps tend to slow your Mac down significantly and display advertisements. They could also use cookies and other trackers to obtain browsing information from the installed web browsers on your Mac.
Can Macs Get Viruses?
Yes. As much as any other device, Apple computers do get malware. Apple devices may not be a frequent target by malware authors, but rest assured that almost all of the Apple devices can become infected with a threat.
What Types of Mac Threats Are There?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the types of threats that can currently infect your Mac can be rogue antivirus programs, adware or hijackers (PUPs), Trojan horses, ransomware and crypto-miner malware.
What To Do If I Have a Mac Virus, Like Cookie Miner?
Do not panic! You can easily get rid of most Mac threats by firstly isolating them and then removing them. One recommended way to do that is by using a reputable malware removal software that can take care of the removal automatically for you.
There are many Mac anti-malware apps out there that you can choose from. SpyHunter for Mac is one of the reccomended Mac anti-malware apps, that can scan for free and detect any viruses. This saves time for manual removal that you would otherwise have to do.
How to Secure My Data from Cookie Miner?
With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.
Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your e-mail passwords.
Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.
Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activiites with your card.
Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.
Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.
Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.
Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.
Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.
If you follow these reccomendations, your network and Apple devices will become significantly more safe against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
More tips you can find on our MacOS Virus section, where you can also ask any questions and comment about your Mac problems.
About the Cookie Miner Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Cookie 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 macOS issue.
How did we conduct the research on Cookie 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 Mac threats, especially adware and potentially unwanted apps (PUAs).
Furthermore, the research behind the Cookie Miner threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand the threat posed by Mac malware, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.