Remove Shadowsocks Miner (Removal Instructions)

Shadowsocks CPU Trojan aims to leverage your CPU power to mine cryptocurrency

Shadowsocks Miner virus

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 Fortect Intego.

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 virus

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.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:

In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:

Select Go > Go to Folder.
Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
Pick Manage Add-ons.
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:

Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
Select Internet Options.
In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:

Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
Under Browsing history, click Delete...
Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:

Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
Select Reset.
In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

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 Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:

Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (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 Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

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.

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.
This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

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 the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:

Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
Choose Settings.
Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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 suspicious extensions 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 dangerous extensions:

Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:

Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:

Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

How to remove Shadowsocks Miner

Shadowsocks CPU Trojan aims to leverage your CPU power to mine cryptocurrency

Inhibit the distribution of potentially unwanted programs with a simple trick