How to Remove Cryptocurrency Miners (Trojan Removal Guide)

Cryptocurrency Miners use your computer to mine for digital currency and use over %90 of your CPU which can cause your computer to overheat.

Cryptocurrency, also known as digital currency, is a very popular topic these days. A lot of people have become more and more interested in digital currencies over the past few years as a means to make payments online and by use of mobile applications. Some people also suggest that it is a smart move to invest in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin. However, with the trend of digital currencies, malicious CPU miners (Trojans) called “Cryptocurrency miners” that attach to an online pool and mine for Cryptocurrency on your computer or device are becoming more and more prominent.

A Cryptocurrency miner is a malicious program that is recognized and detected as a Trojan. The Trojan infects a computer to mine for a specific Cryptocurrency such as Zcash. When the miner mines for currency on a machine it uses a very large amount of CPU which can damage your computer and cause it to overheat.

Cryptocurrency miners are usually challenging to identify because they will now show up as a program installed on your computer, use icons on your desktop or taskbar, or have an interface like a common program does. Most of the time, you can recognize that your computer is infected with a Cryptocurrency miner if a process is running in Windows Task Manager and using over %90 of the CPU.

The high usage of CPU often results in a slower computer. You might notice that programs and games take longer to load and essentially slow down, lag, or crash. Your computer might also crash and accessibility can become restricted.

How Are Cryptocurrency Miners distributed?

Cryptocurrency miners are primarily distributed by exploit kits on websites that have been hacked. The websites will install malware onto the machine when you visit the site. In other cases, malicious advertising networks will direct users to a compromised webpage that essential downloads the miner without user knowledge or consent.

Cryptocurrency miners can also bundle with malware, adware, and spyware that has been introduced to your machine.

Remove Cryptocurrency Miners With Malwarebytes

It is recommend to use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware software to remove Cryptocurrency miners, malware, computer viruses, and other malicious files from your computer. Malwarebytes will remove Cryptocurrency and other threats that are present on your machine for free.

1. Open your browser window and download Malwarebytes 3.0 Premium or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free.

2. Double click the executable file (mb3-setup.exe or other) to begin installing Malwarebytes.

3. In some versions of the installation file you can simply select your language and click Next to install the program; Otherwise, select your language, click Next, then select “I accept the agreement,” click the Next button several times, and then click the Install button to install Malwarebytes. Click Finish once the install process is complete.

4. Open Malwarebytes and click the Scan Now button on the Dashboard to begin scanning your computer.

5. Click the Quarantine Selected button once the scan is finished.

6. If Malwarebytes says “All selected items have been removed successfully. A log file has been saved to the logs folder. Your computer needs to be restarted to complete the removal process. Would you like to restart now?” click the Yes button to restart your computer.

Cleanup and Repair Settings With CCleaner

Cryptocurrency miners can ruin your system settings and leave junk files throughout your machine. CCleaner can repair your system settings and clean up your machine to get it up to shape.

1. Open your browser window and download CCleaner Professional or CCleaner Free.

2. Double click the executable file (ccsetup.exe or other) to begin installing CCleaner.

3. Click the Install button to begin stalling the program.

4. Click Run CCleaner to open the program when installation is complete.

5. Select the Cleaner tab and click the Analyze button.

6. When the Analyze process is complete click the Run Cleaner button to clean all files.

7. Next, select the Registry tab and click the Scan for Issues button to scan for issues in your registry.

8. When the scan is complete click the Fix selected Issues button and Fix All Selected Issues button to fix the issues.

9. Next, select the Tools tab and click Startup. Examine each area, search for suspicious entries, and delete any suspicious startup entries by selecting the entry and clicking the Delete button.

10. Next, click Browser Plugins and search each internet browser for unwanted browser add-ons and extensions. Click the extension you want to delete and click the Delete button to remove it.