Miner Trojan – How to avoid or remove them?

Short miners bio

In the recent years, Bitcoin has taken the world by storm. Anyone who watches the news has at least heard of this new crypto currency. It was created in 2009 and since then has become an electronic payment system that is used not only by regular computer users, but also by international companies and organizations. Bitcoin is created by solving complex mathematical problems with computer power. Although anybody can mine crypto, the process itself takes quite a long time, not to mention that it requires a lot of electrical power. Therefore, mining digital currency on your own PC or even on a mini station created specifically for this purpose may not bring profit any time soon.

Of course, where there is a problem, there is also a solution, or, in this case, an illegal shortcut. It did not take cyber criminals long to figure out that instead of using their own hardware, they can take advantage of other users’ systems without them even knowing about it. That is how miner botnets came to be. Malicious crypto mining software allows hackers to avoid all costs that come with mining crypto currency and only enjoy the benefits. With Bitcoin’s value sharply increasing in the last two years, crypto mining malware has become one of the most profitable malware out there.

How does crypto mining malware spread online?

Cyber criminals often use droppers to infect computers with their malware. A dropper is a type of software that aims at installing malicious programs on the targeted device. Droppers may be hosted on unreliable websites (especially peer-to-peer sites and file-sharing domains) and you can download them together with illegal versions of games or apps, key generators, cracks, and other software. As soon as you open an infected file, the dropper downloads a miner onto your PC. The dropper may also install other malware on the computer that could help disguise the miner itself.

Cyber crooks can also use adware and browser hijackers to reroute you to their own domains hosting the crypto miner. Moreover, hackers are known to corrupt reliable webpages and insert miners into them. Unfortunately, in this case, all it takes is for a user to visit the affected site and they automatically infect their system.

How to avoid miners?

Now that you know how miners spread online, you have a better chance of avoiding them in the future. Make sure that you do not download any suspicious files or programs from unreliable sources. As tempting as it is to get free software, you should know that every time you acquire programs or games from third party content hosting sites, you risk infecting your PC with potentially unwanted apps, adware, browser hijackers, or even malware like ransomware or miners.

You should also avoid clicking on ads that appear too good to be true as they could lead you to corrupted sites. Another important tip is not to open any email attachments from unknown senders. And, above all, make sure that you have a reliable and powerful anti-malware utility protecting you from various infections in real-time.

Summary:

1. Avoid using high-risk websites, such as gambling, online dating, porn, torrent, and similar;
2. Do not click questionable links and pop-ups ;
3. Scan executables with the security tool before opening them;
4. Use strong passwords and change them regularly for all your accounts.
5. Install security software with real-time protection feature;
6. Do not open suspicious attachments or click on links inside emails coming from unknown sources;
7. Update your system and software as soon as security patches are released;

What are the infection symptoms?

It may be difficult to spot crypto mining malware, because it does not come with very obvious symptoms. One thing that you are likely to notice is that your computer does not function as fast as it used to. If your system is overheating, excessively using the fan, and presenting you with high CPU usage, it is reason enough to believe that a threat is present.

How to get rid of miners?

You can clean your computer from all malign items with the help of a reputable anti-malware program WiperSoft. The security tool presented on our page can not only scan your computer, identify and eliminate all unsafe items that it contains, but also provide you with real-time online protection (New 2019 Version), which is crucial when it comes to keeping your system infection-free and at its peak performance.