Do you know what KingMiner Cryptojacking is?
If KingMiner Cryptojacking miner slithered into your Windows operating system, all 100% of your system’s CPU (central processing unit) power might be used. In such a case, your computer might be overheating and running completely chaotically. Every single action you command should lag, and your computer might crash randomly. To check the CPU usage, open the Task Manager (right-click on the Taskbar and select ‘Start Task Manager’), and move to the Performance menu. Normally, when the computer is idle, the CPU should not go past 10%, and when running more stressful tasks, it should not go beyond 70%. Needless to say, if 100% of CPU usage is reached, you need to be concerned. Because these numbers could be affected by all kinds of malicious infections, it is important that you scan your operating system first. If you face other threats, use the search box to find information about them. If you need to remove KingMiner Cryptojacking malware, continue reading.
According to our malware experts, KingMiner Cryptojacking is a miner that mines XMR (Monero), a virtual crypto-currency that is comparable to Bitcoin, Dash, Ethereum, Litecoin, and other popular and well-known crypto-currencies. The process of crypto-currency mining is quite complicated, but, in essence, it is a process during which crypto-transactions are verified and added to the Blockchain. The process requires the miner to solve complex mathematical problems with cryptographic functions, and so it needs a great deal of power. Legitimate miners run on dedicated machines, but the upkeep costs money, which is why cyber criminals leech miners onto computers with weak security. In the end, if the process is successful, the attackers get the money without investing much or anything. Needless to say, the more computers are infected, the more profitable KingMiner Cryptojacking malware is. Although a miner is not supposed to put the infected computer’s owner or their data at risk, intensive mining could cause permanent damage to the machine when it is overworked.
It was found that KingMiner Cryptojacking malware mainly goes after Windows servers, and brute-force attacks are used to invade them. During a brute-force attack, the attackers try to gain access to the servers using random usernames and passwords, in the hopes of guessing them right. Of course, they do not do it manually, but, instead, using software and hardware built for that. Unfortunately, in many cases, servers are not only “secured” using weak passwords but also are unsecured at all, and that makes the attackers’ job much easier. Once in, a malicious .VBS or .SCT file is dropped to download the KingMiner Cryptojacking payload. Of course, other methods of distribution could be used as well, which is why it is important to be careful. Unfortunately, after the invasion, the miner might evade antivirus detections, and if it is successful, it creates a folder in %PUBLIC% and drops additional files that must be removed. The files that you need to delete might include powered.exe, fix.exe, config.json, sandbox.dll, or active_desktop_render_x64.dll, but remember that names could be modified.
If you do not want your own computer to become a slave for cyber criminals, deleting KingMiner Cryptojacking miner is crucial. The instructions below show how to find and remove the miner’s files in the %PUBLIC% directory. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that everyone will be successful at manual removal of KingMiner Cryptojacking malware, which is why we strongly recommend installing anti-malware software that could simultaneously delete the threat and secure it to ensure that similar and other kinds of infections cannot attack it in the future.
Remove KingMiner Cryptojacking
- Simultaneously tap Win+E keys on the keyboard to access Windows Explorer.
- Enter %PUBLIC% into the quick access field at the top.
- Check the directory for unfamiliar folders and subfolders with these files inside: config.json, powered.exe, fix.exe, sandbox.dll, active_desktop_render_x64.dll (.exe/.dll files are interchangeable).
- Right-click and Delete the malicious files/folder.
- Empty Recycle Bin.
- Perform a full system scan using a reliable malware scanner.
In non-techie terms:
It is not a question of whether or not you should delete KingMiner Cryptojacking miner. This threat is real, and you need to eliminate it as soon as possible. Even if it does not encrypt files, steal personal data, or drop other infections – and we cannot be sure about any of this – the miner can use up your system’s resources, and make it impossible for you to run it in an orderly fashion. Furthermore, if your CPU power is constantly drained, you could experience physical harm to the machine, and we are sure you do not want that. Although some users might find removing KingMiner Cryptojacking manually easy, we strongly suggest employing anti-malware software if you want to get rid of the threat quickly and fully, and if you want your entire operating system to be protected against miners and other infections.