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CPU Miner (virus) - updated Jul 2021

by Jake Doevan - - | Type: Malware

CPU Miner Removal Guide

What is CPU Miner?

CPU Miner – a malicious program used to generate cryptocurrency

Image of CPU Miner virus

CPU Miner is a malicious program that uses lots of computer’s CPUs to mine digital currency. Crooks created numerous viruses to mine different cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoins, Monero, Ethereoum, etc. The biggest problem is that users are not aware of this activity and experience serious computer-related problems. The malware typically spreads as a trojan horse. Therefore, users can be tricked into downloading it themselves. However, they might spread in software bundles and sneak into the system unnoticed.

What is more, during the past years security experts warned about countless cryptojacking cases when malicious cryptocurrency mining codes were injected into various websites.[1] Therefore, when users visit such sites, the CPU Miner virus starts stealing their computer’s resources and making virtual money.

Name CPU miner
Type Trojan, malware
Issues The application uses resources of the machine and mines cryptocurrency
Danger Infection can lead to other infiltrations of threats when the system is not secure and vulnerable
Distribution Infectious files, other viruses, emails, and cracked software
Elimination You need a proper anti-malware tool to find all pieces related to the infection
Repair Run ReimageIntego and repair any additional damage

Among the most popular and widespread miners are:

Despite the variety of illegal CPU mining programs, they all behave similarly. Once they get into the system, they launch malicious processes that can be seen in the Windows Task Manager, for instance, minergate.exe, Intelmain.exe, or others.

Processes that belong to cryptocurrency miners might use up to 90% of the computer’s resources. This activity might lead to a damaged graphics card, computer overheating, and increased electrical bill. Due to the high CPU usage, a computer becomes sluggish, programs might not respond or open.

Specialists from dieviren.de[2] warn that high CPU usage is dangerous for computers. Therefore, if you do not want your device to get physically damaged, you have to remove the threat immediately.

We highly recommend using ReimageIntego for CPU Miner removal. Security software can clean the trojan horse from the device immediately. Additionally, our suggested tool can fix the damage that miners may have done to the system too.

The picture of CPU MinerThe trojan might use more than 90% of the computer's resources.

Cryptocurrency miners use tricky methods to infiltrate devices

Crooks might spread CPU Miner virus as legitimate programs, browser extensions,[3] or software updates. Therefore, users can get easily tricked into installing them themselves. For this reason, security experts recommend being careful when downloading free applications.

Before agreeing to install any software, you should:

  1. Check the information about the developer;
  2. Download programs from the official developer’s websites;
  3. Read user reviews about the program;
  4. Read EULA, Privacy policy, or similar documents provided by developers.

However, cryptocurrency miners might also infiltrate the system silently. Creators of such malicious programs usually rely on bundling – a deceptive software marketing method that allows adding miners to the freeware or shareware package. Therefore, when a user does not pay attention to this procedure, she or he lets the miner stepping into the system. However, you can avoid that.

First of all, make sure you select Custom or Advanced installation of the freeware to get more knowledge about optional components. After doing so, you should uncheck all pre-checked check marks that may try to inform you about CpuMiner and other suspicious components.

New cryptojacking methods allow stealing CPU without installing any software

Nevertheless, trojan horses are quite an effective infiltration strategy; cybercriminals found a more sophisticated method to mine digital coins. Criminals attack popular websites and inject malicious JavaScript code that allows mining cryptocurrency as soon as a visitor enters a compromised website.

Such cryptojacking attacks hit UK, USA, and Australian government websites,[4] adult-themed, entertainment, and many other sites. While some CPU Miners stop their activity when a user leaves a compromised website, others continue their job[5] by displaying a pop-under window that hides behind the clock on the Windows taskbar.

Therefore, if you noticed that your browser became sluggish and your computer became very slow, you should open the Task Manager and attentively look through running processes. Stop all the suspicious entries that are using lots of CPU. If high CPU usage comes back, you should check the system for malicious software.

Identify and remove CPU Miner from your computer

Infiltration of malware might be hard to notice. However, if you are dealing with these problems, you might need to proceed with CPU Miner removal:

  • the general sluggishness of the computer;
  • an increased amount of ads, pop-ups, and banners appearing on the browser;
  • browser redirects to tech support scams, fake updates, or other questionable websites;
  • suspicious processes running in the Task Manager;
  • installation of unknown programs or extensions.

To stop these activities and remove CPU Miner from the computer, you have to use a reputable malware removal program. Install new or update your current antivirus and run a full system scan. All major security vendors are capable of detecting and eliminating cryptocurrency miners.

However, our team highly recommends using either Malwarebytes or SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner. If you have some difficulties with malware removal, please follow the instructions given below. In some cases, trojans might block installation or access to security software to prevent elimination. However, you can still disable the virus. You should also think about the state of your machine and run ReimageIntego to repair any occurring damage.

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Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Reimage, try running SpyHunter 5.
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Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.
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Getting rid of CPU Miner. Follow these steps

Manual removal using Safe Mode

Important! →
Manual removal guide might be too complicated for regular computer users. It requires advanced IT knowledge to be performed correctly (if vital system files are removed or damaged, it might result in full Windows compromise), and it also might take hours to complete. Therefore, we highly advise using the automatic method provided above instead.

Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking

Manual malware removal should be best performed in the Safe Mode environment. 

Windows 7 / Vista / XP
  1. Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
  2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 button (if that does not work, try F2, F12, Del, etc. – it all depends on your motherboard model) multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
  3. Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list. Windows 7/XP
Windows 10 / Windows 8
  1. Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
    Settings
  2. Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
    Update and security
  3. On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
  4. Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
  5. Click Restart now.
    Reboot
  6. Select Troubleshoot. Choose an option
  7. Go to Advanced options. Advanced options
  8. Select Startup Settings. Startup settings
  9. Press Restart.
  10. Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking. Enable safe mode

Step 2. Shut down suspicious processes

Windows Task Manager is a useful tool that shows all the processes running in the background. If malware is running a process, you need to shut it down:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details.
    Open task manager
  3. Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
  4. Right-click and select Open file location.
    Open file location
  5. Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
    End task
  6. Delete the contents of the malicious folder.

Step 3. Check program Startup

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
  2. Go to Startup tab.
  3. Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
    Startup

Step 4. Delete virus files

Malware-related files can be found in various places within your computer. Here are instructions that could help you find them:

  1. Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
    Disk cleanup
  2. Select the drive you want to clean (C: is your main drive by default and is likely to be the one that has malicious files in).
  3. Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:

    Temporary Internet Files
    Downloads
    Recycle Bin
    Temporary files

  4. Pick Clean up system files.
    Delete temp files
  5. You can also look for other malicious files hidden in the following folders (type these entries in Windows Search and press Enter):

    %AppData%
    %LocalAppData%
    %ProgramData%
    %WinDir%

After you are finished, reboot the PC in normal mode.

Remove CPU Miner using System Restore

  • Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt
    Windows 7 / Vista / XP
    1. Click Start → Shutdown → Restart → OK.
    2. When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
    3. Select Command Prompt from the list Select 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt'

    Windows 10 / Windows 8
    1. Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
    2. Now select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
    3. Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window. Select 'Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt'
  • Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
    1. Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter. Enter 'cd restore' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    2. Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again.. Enter 'rstrui.exe' without quotes and press 'Enter'
    3. When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of CPU Miner. After doing that, click Next. When 'System Restore' window shows up, select 'Next' Select your restore point and click 'Next'
    4. Now click Yes to start system restore. Click 'Yes' and start system restore
    Once you restore your system to a previous date, download and scan your computer with ReimageIntego and make sure that CPU Miner removal is performed successfully.

Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from CPU Miner and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as ReimageIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes

How to prevent from getting malware

Access your website securely from any location

When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.

If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.

 

Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks

While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.

Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection. 

 

About the author
Jake Doevan
Jake Doevan - Computer technology expert

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References
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