This page aims to help you remove WaterMiner. Our removal instructions work for every version of Windows.
Trojans are among the most dreadful viruses in existence and getting infected by one is the last thing anyone would anticipate. Yet, sometimes we wind up in these situations when our system informs us of an intruder, or we detect it on our own. Either way, it’s an unsettling experience and one that also require immediate action on our behalf. Today’s article is dedicated to one of the newly released Trojan horse viruses and its name is WaterMiner. If you have found that this particular piece of malicious programming has been nestled in your system, it’s a good thing you found this page. Here we will aim to shine some light on what Trojan horses are really all about, and what you need to know about the way they act. But more importantly, we will also provide you with a set of instructions on how to remove WaterMiner from your computer, so you can protect it from any further harm that it may cause.
Why Trojans are as infamous as they are
You may not be able to name a single other virus type, but Trojans is definitely something that everybody has heard of. Nevertheless, most users still have little to no knowledge about Trojans actually do. Thus, you may be panicking now, not knowing what WaterMiner has been up to on your machine and not even having a ballpark estimate of the damage they can expect to have on their hands as a result of it. Unfortunately, the thing about Trojan horse viruses is that they are very versatile and can be programmed to fulfill a whole array of different malicious purposes. Therefore, there’s really no knowing for sure what exactly WaterMiner has been doing in your system, unless you can already clearly determine the effects it’s had. This is also one of the reasons why Trojans are as popular as they are. For one, they make up a larger percentage of the overall number of viruses out there than any other malware group. Hackers value Trojans and generally use them more, because they can program them to do more things.
WaterMiner Removal
Some of the steps will likely require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.
Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
We get asked this a lot, so we are putting it here: Removing parasite manually may take hours and damage your system in the process. If you want a fast safe solution, we recommend SpyHunter. Keep in mind, SpyHunter’s malware & virus scanner is free. To remove the infection, you'll need to purchase its full version. More information about SpyHunter and steps to uninstall.
>> Click to Download Spyhunter. If you don't want this software, continue with the guide below.
Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC at the same time and go to the Processes Tab. Try to determine which processes are dangerous.
Right click on each of them and select Open File Location. Then scan the files with our free online virus scanner:
This scanner is free and will always remain free for our website's users. You can find its full-page version at: https://howtoremove.guide/online-virus-scanner/
Scan Results
| Virus Scanner | Result |
|---|---|
 ClamAV |
|
 AVG AV |
|
 Maldet |
After you open their folder, end the processes that are infected, then delete their folders.
Note: If you are sure something is part of the infection – delete it, even if the scanner doesn’t flag it. No anti-virus program can detect all infections.
Hold together the Start Key and R. Type appwiz.cpl –> OK.
You are now in the Control Panel. Look for suspicious entries. Uninstall it/them. If you see a screen like this when you click Uninstall, choose NO:
Type msconfig in the search field and hit enter. A window will pop-up:
Startup —> Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer or otherwise look suspicious.
- Remember this step – if you have reason to believe a bigger threat (like ransomware) is on your PC, check everything here.
Hold the Start Key and R – copy + paste the following and click OK:
notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts
A new file will open. If you are hacked, there will be a bunch of other IPs connected to you at the bottom. Look at the image below:
If there are suspicious IPs below “Localhost” – write to us in the comments.
Avoid this by using SpyHunter - a professional Keep in mind, SpyHunter’s malware & virus scanner is free. To remove the infection, you'll need to purchase its full version. More information about SpyHunter and steps to uninstall.
Type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter.
Once inside, press CTRL and F together and type the virus’s Name. Right click and delete any entries you find with a similar name. If they don’t show up this way, go manually to these directories and delete/uninstall them:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory. It could be any one of them – ask us if you can’t discern which ones are malicious.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random
If the guide didn’t help you, download the anti-virus program we recommended or ask us in the comments for guidance!
Besides that, viruses of this type are also notoriously stealthy. In fact, that’s kind of why they are called Trojan horses in the first place. They enter your system like a seemingly harmless file or program, and then begin to act on whatever they were designed for from within. More importantly, this hardly ever causes any symptoms that would trigger a victim user to scan their system for malware or even suspect that there may be an intruder on their PC.
As for the different types of damage that WaterMiner could potentially cause, it’s a very long list of things. And they range from file destruction, system corruption, data theft, spying, resource exploitation and so forth. The hackers can be after certain personal or sensitive information for the purpose of stealing your identity, hijacking your social media profiles or maybe even draining your bank accounts. Besides that, those same cybercriminals could just as easily want to keep tabs on you and know where you’re located, what you’re doing, what you’re saying and who you’re talking with. It’s a very disturbing possibility, but a very realistic one nonetheless. Furthermore, if you think one virus is bad enough, WaterMiner can also be made to introduce other malware to your computer, most commonly ransomware. Or it can be using your machine to infect other people’s computers – also very probable.
Now that you have an idea of what Trojans can be capable of, be sure to make use of our removal guide below. Note that some of the steps there will require you to access system files and this will in turn call for more care and attention. It’s very important that you follow the steps exactly as described, so as to not delete the wrong files. Deleting vital system components may render your PC unusable, so keep this in mind. And if you don’t feel confident enough to deal with these system files yourself, you can always employ our professional removal tool to do the task for you. Scroll down for more details on both methods and choose what’s comfortable for you.
SUMMARY:
| Name | WaterMiner |
| Type | Trojan |
| Danger Level | High (Trojans are often used as a backdoor for Ransomware) |
| Symptoms | Trojan horse viruses are notorious for their stealth and ability to go undetected due to lack of symptoms |
| Distribution Method | Spam emails, infected torrents, contaminated online ads, etc. |
| Detection Tool | We generally recommend SpyHunter or a similar anti-malware program that is updated daily. |
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