What are Minecraft viruses? Is a Minecraft virus dangerous? How to remove a Minecraft virus from your computer?
Minecraft virus infections can happen through multiple ways. They take advantage of the name of the well-known game in order to promote themselves. The different virus attacks are being operated by different hacking groups and individuals — we have received reports of numerous campaigns that use the Minecraft name in different elements. Most of them are related to malicious scripts that are found in redirects and pop-ups, as well as intrusive ads. Reading this article will help you protect yourself from bogus Minecraft sites and virus infections.
Threat Summary
| Name | Minecraft Virus |
| Type | Malware |
| Short Description | Virus that takes advantage of the legitimate and famous shopping site Minecraft. |
| Symptoms | The symptoms may be ranging from seeing redirects to having symptom-less Trojan on your computer. |
| Distribution Method | Bundled downloads. Web pages which may advertise it. |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
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Malware Removal Tool
|
User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Minecraft Virus. |
Minecraft Virus — How Did I Get It?
The Minecraft virus can be spread using different tactics depending on the hacking group which is behind the ongoing campaigns. At one time there can be different iterations of the virus running as there are different types of te virus. This particular threat is known to constantly shift its behavior patterns and spread tactics.
One of the most popular methods is the coordination of phishing campaigns that usually employ email messages. They are designed to appear as sent by legitimate companies and services, in this case gaming communities and stores as well. In many cases the hackers can also create fake sites which are scams by themselves and can range from the following popular examples:
- Fake Login Pages — One of the common mechanisms for scamming the users is to construct fake login and landing pages. They are almost identical or stolen prompts that are registered on various domains and spread across the Internet. Their main goal is to trick the visitors into revealing their account credentials or other type of data that can be used to carry out crimes such as identity theft.
- Redirects — Various types of redirects can be embedded across all kinds of sites. Upon opening them or interacting with a certain code the target Minecraft site will be shown.
- Fake Download Sites — One of the most successful methods is the creation of multiple countefeit download portals that looks like a safe place from where the users can acquire copies of the Mincraft, add-ons or extensions.
- Communities — The hackers can send links across social networks, chats and gaming communities which are a major source of infections.
The Minecraft virus site and its related phishing and fake sites are usually hosted on domain names that sound very similar to the real Minecraft related addresses. To add a sense of authenticity they can embed security certificates that can be either self-signed or stolen.
Any Minecraft Virus related code can also be placed across various file carriers. One of the most popular types are the macro-infected documents — they can range across all commonly used file formats: presentations, databases, spreadsheets and text documents. When they are opened by the victims a prompt will be spawned asking them to enable the built-in content. If this is done the infection will follow. A very large part of the Minecraft virus infections are caused by the downloading and installation of malicious setup packages, especially ones related to the game. This does not include only the Minecraft installers, but also add-ons, skins and extensions. Many of the pirate content can also feature a virus: cracks, trainers and patches.
Some of the Minecraft virus infections are also caused by the interaction with browser hijackers which are dangerous plugins made compatible with the most popular web browsers. They are uploaded to the relevant repositories with fake user reviews and developer credentials. The posted descriptions will offer enticing feature additions that may be related to Minecraft. As soon as they are deployed the virus will be started automatically.
Minecraft Virus — What Does It Do?
The Minecraft virus can feature different behavior based on the exact version which has infected the victim. There are numerous versions of the threat which can launch different malicious actions. Both the web-based attacks and the executable files and scripts begin with a common component, the data harvesting one. The majority of the threats will hijack data that can be used to expose the identity of the victims and also generate an unique ID based on the installed hardware components.
Minecraft virus samples which are based on executable code can launch a multitude of malware actions, the most popular ones are the following:
- Security Applications Bypass — Using the gained information the Minecraft virus may search the memory contents and the hard disk for any installed applications that can block the malware. The target software will be bypassed or entirely removed. Based on a code analysis of other similar threats the following applications are considered: anti-virus programs, sandbox environments, debug applicatiosn, firewalls and virtual machine hosts.
- Persistent Installation — Many of the Minecraft virus versions can be programmed into installing themselves as a persistent threat. This means that the required modifications will be made in the configuration files thereby starting the malicious engine every time the computer is powered on. Some of the advanced cases have been reported to disable access to the recovery boot options thus making it much more difficult to remove active infections.
- Windows Registry Changes — The hackers can manipulate the operating system by creating new strings or modifying existing ones. This can lead to the te inability to start certain functions, experience data loss and unexpected errors.
- Payload Delivery — The attacks can be used to spread other threats to the victims. Usually this is done to spread common malware including cryptocurrency miners and Trojans.
Minecraft virus that include browser hjackers code will change the settings of the installed web browsers in order to always show the a hacker-designated site. It can also harvest the stored data and realy it back to the hacker operators: history, bookmarks, settings, cookies and any stored account credentials.
Any other malware actions can be ordered by the criminals at any time. This means that active infections should be removed as soon as possible in order to prevent any further issues.
Remove Minecraft Virus from Your Machine
In order to be able to remove Minecraft virus, you should know where it’s files and objects are hidden. The main idea is to follow the removal steps below. They are made to help you isolate the virus and detect and delete the malicious files. For the complete detection and removal of Minecraft Virus, however, we strongly suggest that you download and run a free scan with an advanced anti-malware software. Such tool will automatically identify and eliminate all of the virus files and objects, related to any Minecraft Virus from your computer plus protect it in the future too.
Martin Beltov
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
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How to Remove Minecraft Virus from Windows.
Step 1: Scan for Minecraft Virus with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 2: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode
Step 3: Uninstall Minecraft Virus and related software from Windows
Uninstall Steps for Windows 11
Uninstall Steps for Windows 10 and Older Versions
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 4: Clean Any registries, Created by Minecraft Virus on Your PC.
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 Minecraft Virus 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.
Video Removal Guide for Minecraft Virus (Windows).
Get rid of Minecraft Virus from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Minecraft Virus and remove related files and objects
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 Minecraft Virus. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
- 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 Minecraft Virus 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:
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 2: Scan for and remove Minecraft Virus files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Minecraft Virus, 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.
Video Removal Guide for Minecraft Virus (Mac)
Remove Minecraft Virus from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Erase Minecraft Virus from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window:
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Uninstall Minecraft Virus from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Remove Minecraft Virus from Safari
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the Minecraft Virus will be removed.
Eliminate Minecraft Virus from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
Remove Push Notifications from Your Browsers
Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome
To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.
Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:
Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:
Step 4: Open “Notifications”:
Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:
Remove Push Notifications on Firefox
Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.
Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":
Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”
Stop Push Notifications on Opera
Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings.
Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.
Step 3: Open Notifications:
Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):
Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari
Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.
Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".
Minecraft Virus-FAQ
What Is Minecraft Virus?
The Minecraft Virus threat is adware or browser redirect virus.
It may slow your computer down significantly and display advertisements. The main idea is for your information to likely get stolen or more ads to appear on your device.
The creators of such unwanted apps work with pay-per-click schemes to get your computer to visit risky or different types of websites that may generate them funds. This is why they do not even care what types of websites show up on the ads. This makes their unwanted software indirectly risky for your OS.
What Are the Symptoms of Minecraft Virus?
There are several symptoms to look for when this particular threat and also unwanted apps in general are active:
Symptom #1: Your computer may become slow and have poor performance in general.
Symptom #2: You have toolbars, add-ons or extensions on your web browsers that you don't remember adding.
Symptom #3: You see all types of ads, like ad-supported search results, pop-ups and redirects to randomly appear.
Symptom #4: You see installed apps on your Mac running automatically and you do not remember installing them.
Symptom #5: You see suspicious processes running in your Task Manager.
If you see one or more of those symptoms, then security experts recommend that you check your computer for viruses.
What Types of Unwanted Programs Are There?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the threats that can currently affect your device can be rogue antivirus software, adware, browser hijackers, clickers, fake optimizers and any forms of PUPs.
What to Do If I Have a "virus" like Minecraft Virus?
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 email 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 activities 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 recommendations, your network and all devices will become significantly more secure against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
How Does Minecraft Virus Work?
Once installed, Minecraft Virus can collect data using trackers. This data is about your web browsing habits, such as the websites you visit and the search terms you use. It is then used to target you with ads or to sell your information to third parties.
Minecraft Virus can also download other malicious software onto your computer, such as viruses and spyware, which can be used to steal your personal information and show risky ads, that may redirect to virus sites or scams.
Is Minecraft Virus Malware?
The truth is that PUPs (adware, browser hijackers) are not viruses, but may be just as dangerous since they may show you and redirect you to malware websites and scam pages.
Many security experts classify potentially unwanted programs as malware. This is because of the unwanted effects that PUPs can cause, such as displaying intrusive ads and collecting user data without the user’s knowledge or consent.
About the Minecraft Virus Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Minecraft Virus how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific, adware-related problem, and restore your browser and computer system.
How did we conduct the research on Minecraft Virus?
Please note that our research is based on independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware, adware, and browser hijacker definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the Minecraft Virus threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand this online threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.