VMProtect Miner Trojan
Threat Scorecard
EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecard
EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards are assessment reports for different malware threats which have been collected and analyzed by our research team. EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards evaluate and rank threats using several metrics including real-world and potential risk factors, trends, frequency, prevalence, and persistence. EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards are updated regularly based on our research data and metrics and are useful for a wide range of computer users, from end users seeking solutions to remove malware from their systems to security experts analyzing threats.
EnigmaSoft Threat Scorecards display a variety of useful information, including:
Ranking: The ranking of a particular threat in EnigmaSoft’s Threat Database.
Severity Level: The determined severity level of an object, represented numerically, based on our risk modeling process and research, as explained in our Threat Assessment Criteria.
Infected Computers: The number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular threat detected on infected computers as reported by SpyHunter.
See also Threat Assessment Criteria.
| Ranking: | 9,902 |
| Threat Level: | 90 % (High) |
| Infected Computers: | 32 |
| First Seen: | October 11, 2017 |
| Last Seen: | September 12, 2023 |
| OS(es) Affected: | Windows |
The VMProtect Miner Trojan is a program that is used to mine digital cryptocurrencies on computers that are not owned by the VMProtect Miner operator. Put in other words, the VMProtect Miner Trojan is used by cyber crooks to infect remote machines and use their processing resources to earn digital money. Digital currency miners are not classified as unsafe programs by default. Many open-source solutions allow regular PC users to use an old PC or a network of PCs to earn money. However, the rise in Bitcoin prices in the spring and summer of 2017 is perceived as a motivation for threat creators to release threats like the Moloko CPU Miner and the Shadowsocks Miner Trojan. The VMProtect Miner Trojan may arrive on your computer as an attached file to a spam message and a fake browser plug-in promoted in a freeware bundle.
The VMProtect Miner Trojan is designed to mine Monero coins using 70% of the processing power available to the compromised system approximately. The main process launched by the VMProtect Miner Trojan is known to run as 'VMProtectss.exe,' which can be seen in the Task Manager. The developer behind the VMProtect Miner Trojan may issue commands to the VMProtect Miner Trojan via a 'Command and Control' server. That way, the VMProtect Miner node can receive updates and connect to any number of servers. As mentioned before, the VMProtect Miner Trojan may run as 'VMProtectss.exe' that is recorded to feature the description 'XMRig CPU Miner.' You may notice a second instance of the Trojan that runs as 'VMProtectks.exe' and has the description '_Kill_.' Programs like office apps, games, Internet browsers, and IM clients are very likely to run slower and fail to respond accordingly. The VMProtect Miner Trojan might inject corrupted DLLs into System32 under the WIndows directory and seek to inject code into Internet Explorer. PC users are advised to purge the VMProtect Miner Trojan by using a trustworthy anti-malware tool. AV engines might tag the associated files as:
- Trojan.VMProtect!
- Win32/Packed.VMProtect.AAA
- Win32/Packed.VMProtect.ABD
