Shadowsocks Miner (Removal Instructions) - Free Instructions
Shadowsocks Miner Removal Guide
What is Shadowsocks Miner?
Shadowsocks CPU Trojan aims to leverage your CPU power to mine cryptocurrency
Shadowsocks Miner is a malicious computer virus classified as a Trojan[1]. It was developed for unacceptable purpose – steal victim’s CPU power to mine cryptocurrency[2] for cybercriminals without computer user’s knowledge. Victims who detect this hazardous virus on their systems should know that it is not related to Shadowsocks proxy software in any way.
As soon as Shadowsocks Miner Trojan infects the target system, it launches service.exe or websock.exe process and starts mining cryptocurrency right away. Possible outcomes of such activity are computer slowdowns, lags, software crashes, and similar intolerable issues.
If you noticed that your computer became very problematic and the described issues bother you on a daily basis, you should check for malware on the system ASAP. Even though if it is not Shadowsocks Miner virus, it is advisable to run a system scan using software like FortectIntego.
Distributing illegal cryptocurrency mining tools allow fraudsters to generate more substantial amounts of money using a botnet of victims’ computers compromised with Shadowsocks CPU miner. The dangerous program might run in victim’s computer for months or years unnoticeably, earning the profit for frauds and disrupting victim’s browsing daily.
There are several other programs that function very similarly to the described Miner. NoVirus.uk team[3] warns to protect your computer from Monero Miner, Vatico Monero Miner, CPU Miner and other illegal tools.
It is also important to point out that software used by cybercriminals hardly ever arrives alone. It can be distributed with a spying software that will silently steal personal and valuable information and transmit it to criminals’ servers. It goes without saying that fraudsters can use it in a variety of ways, for instance, sell it on the dark web or use it in social engineering attacks.
The listed issues explain why we recommend you to remove Shadowsocks virus without any hesitations. Protect your computer from unwanted digital pests and make sure that you are the only one using it. You should find the unwanted program in the list of recently installed programs in the Control Panel, but in case you can’t, run anti-spyware software for a quick detection of the threat and speedy Shadowsocks Miner removal.
Shadowsocks Miner Trojan is a dangerous software that slows down the computer as it uses CPU power to mine cryptocurrency for criminals.
Inhibit the distribution of potentially unwanted programs with a simple trick
Although computer users tend to think that potentially unwanted software and malicious viruses are distributed by hackers who break into computers to install them, the reality is quite different. Distribution of such annoying and dangerous software cannot happen without user’s interaction, so criminals set up places to download unwanted programs. Their creativity is endless, and users often get deceived by convincing emails or freeware available to download online.
To keep spyware and malware away, never make the following list of mistakes:
- Never open emails from unknown senders and bypass folders containing unsolicited junk (Spam, Trash or Junk folders in your email).
- Do not click on email attachments or any links provided in the message (including Unsubscribe link) if the message seems to be shady. Besides, do not let official logos, names and other details trick you into thinking that the email comes from a legitimate company or a trustworthy sender. Fraudsters can fake these features in a few minutes.
- Do not try to set up licensed software on your computer for free. Not only such actions are considered illegal, and you can be fined for doing so, but you can also unknowingly install malware alongside the program you want.
- Install freeware and shareware you download only using Custom or Advanced installation settings. Never try to opt for Standard or Default installation modes as these won’t allow you to configure the installation preference and will clutter your PC with unwanted apps.
Remove Shadowsocks Miner manually or automatically
Wondering what the best way to push the miner from your computer is? If so, we suggest you remove Shadowsocks virus automatically. This removal method simply saves lots of time and helps you to catch all spyware and malware programs available on your PC.
Technically, it is also possible to uninstall this unwanted program manually, however, if you want to be sure about your security and privacy, opt for automatic Shadowsocks removal. In case it is not what you want, follow steps listed below.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of Shadowsocks Miner. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
To remove Shadowsocks Miner, go to Control Panel and uninstall Shadowsocks virus from there. The provided instructions explain how to navigate to the right panel and delete the malware.
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data…
- Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Delete from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Shadowsocks Miner registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting trojans
Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are
There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity. While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.
Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.
Data backups are important – recover your lost files
Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data. Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.
While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as Data Recovery Pro can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.
- ^ Email Viruses & Trojan Horses. Duke Computer Science. Security Tips and Resources.
- ^ Rachel Rose O'Leary. Torrent Website Offers Users Rewards for Cryptocurrency Mining. CoinDesk. Leader in Blockchain News.
- ^ NoVirus. NoVirus. Spyware and Security News.