KingMiner Cryptojacking

KingMiner Cryptojacking is a Trojan that was designed to use infected computers’ resources to mine a particular cryptocurrency known as Monero. Needless to say, such behavior is not good for the device or its performance, and if you notice this malicious application on your system, you should eliminate it with no hesitation. Further, in this article, you can find more details about the Trojan and its removal. Thus, if you want to learn what it is capable of and how to remove KingMiner Cryptojacking manually, you should continue reading our article. Also, we recommend checking the instructions available below the text as they can be helpful to those who might be determined to delete it manually. As for users who may have questions about this malicious application, we encourage them to leave us messages at the end of the article.

According to our specialists, KingMiner Cryptojacking targets computers running Windows Server the most, and it might enter the system by brute forcing its password. Thus, we would recommend making sure you are using a strong combination. To come up with a secure passcode, you should use as many characters as possible. Plus, the password should include not only numbers and both lowercase/uppercase letters, but also symbols. Another thing we recommend is making the password as unique as possible. It is best to pick a random combination, and it should be one that you have never used before.

Moreover, KingMiner Cryptojacking could be spread with other malware and content downloaded from unreliable sources. Because of this, we also recommend staying away from suspicious material and websites that might distribute it. Another good idea is being careful with email attachments or messages with links to other sites if they come from unknown senders or seem doubtful. To avoid interacting with such data and infecting the system accidentally, you should scan every file that raises suspicion with a reputable antimalware tool. Doing so could help you keep the system clean and protected.

In case the malware enters the system it should drop .vbs or .sct script files that ought to download data the Trojan needs to start mining. The files the malicious application downloads should be placed in three separate folders located in the %PUBLIC% directory (e.g., %PUBLIC%\Documents, %PUBLIC%\Music, etc.). For instance, in our case, the malware dropped the following data: powered.exe, active_desktop_render_x64.dll, and config.json. Afterward, KingMiner Cryptojacking should establish a connection to the hackers’ server and start mining Monero. Our researchers say the threat was programmed to use 75% of the CPU’s power, but it looks like the Trojan could use up to 100%.

Unfortunately, using the computer’s CPU at full capacity can shorten its lifespan. Also, it is possible such behavior might make the device heat faster, which could influence its performance. In other words, KingMiner Cryptojacking could cause you various problems, and since it is a malicious application, we recommend eliminating it as soon as possible. We can suggest a couple of ways to get rid of the malware.

The first one is to remove all files associated with it manually. The problem is such files might have random names, and some users could find it difficult to identify them. Nevertheless, if you are determined to deal with the Trojan manually, you should take a look at the instructions located below as they will explain how to look for the threat’s files, although keep in mind we cannot guarantee they will help you eradicate the malware. The other way to erase KingMiner Cryptojacking is to install a reliable antimalware tool and perform a full system scan. This method should be a lot easier since you would not have to look for the malicious application’s files yourself and you could eliminate them all at once by pressing the chosen antimalware tool’s deletion button.

Erase KingMiner Cryptojacking

1. Tap Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
2. Launch Task Manager.
3. Look for the malware’s process.
4. Select the process and press End Task.
5. Leave the Task Manager.
6. Click Win+E.
7. Go to %PUBLIC% and check all the subfolders it has.
8. Look for suspicious .exe, .dll, and .json (e.g., config.json) files that could belong to the Trojan, right-click them and select Delete.
9. Navigate to these paths:
   C:\Windows\Tasks
   C:\Windows\System32\Tasks
10. Look for files that might belong to the malware, right-click them and choose Delete.
11. Exit File Explorer.
12. Tap Win+R.
13. Insert regedit and select OK.
14. Go to the given locations:
    HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\Taskcache\Tasks
    HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\Taskcache\Tree
15. Find value names that could have been created by the Trojan, right-click them and select Delete.
16. Exit Registry Editor.
17. Empty Recycle bin.
18. Restart the system.