Xmr-stak.exe Trojan Removal

This article can help you to remove Xmr-stak.exe Virus. The step by step removal works for every version of Microsoft Windows.

Xmr-stak.exe Trojan is a virus that sneaks into your system and steals your computer resources. The parasite corrupts your entire system and takes control of it. It alters settings, modifies the Registry, and drops malicious files. It wastes no time and starts intensive processes which force your machine to mine cyber coins. Confused? It’s not as complicated as it may appear at first. The Trojan uses your CPU to perform accounting operations for a coin platform. In exchange for its services, your device gets rewarded with fractions of the coin. The longer it serves the bigger the profit. The money, however, is not transferred to you, but to the hackers’ cyber wallet. As for you; you are left with the side effects and the potential threats. That’s right! There are unwanted side effects and potential risks. The Xmr-stak.exe Trojan makes your system slow and unresponsive. It overloads your CPU to a point where it cannot get any additional tasks. The virus takes everything your device has to offer and leaves nothing for you. Its aggressive operations threaten to shorten your CPU’s life significantly. Do not become a sponsor of cyber thieves. Remove Xmr-stak.exe Trojan the first chance you get.

How did I get infected with?

Torrents, corrupted websites, fake updates, malicious software bundles. There are myriads of ways for the Trojan to reach your system. Xmr-stak.exe Trojan hides in the shadows and waits for you to let your guard down. Don’t make that mistake. No anti-virus app can protect you if you throw caution to the wind. Only your vigilance is powerful enough to keep your device secure and virus-free. Even a little extra attention can spare you an avalanche of problems. Don’t visit shady websites. Download software and updates from reliable sources only. And, of course, don’t interact with suspicious messages. Treat all unexpected emails as potential threats. Always take the time to verify their senders. If you receive an unexpected email, from your bank, for example, go to their official website. Compare the email addresses listed there to the suspicious one. If they don’t match, delete the pretender. You can also enter the sender’s address into a search engine. If it was used for shady business, someone might have complained. Take no chances. The spam messages are the number one virus distribution method. One moment of carelessness is all it takes for a virus to sneak into your device. Always take the time to do your due diligence.

Why is this dangerous?

Xmr-stak.exe Trojan is a complete and utter menace. It makes a mess of your OS. It alters settings, drops files, and starts processes. The virus affects every component of your OS. It messes with essential directories, and as a result, it causes malfunctions and crashes. You may find yourself forced to reboot your system repeatedly. A simple restart, however, won’t fix your problems. Xmr-stak.exe Trojan loads together with your OS and is always running in the background. This virus is a nightmare. It makes your poor machine so slow that you can barely get a simple task done. Your apps take forever to load. Errors and alerts pop up out of the blue. That’s the nature of the Trojan. It overloads your CPU and eats up your RAM. It leaves nothing for you to use. Don’t put up with this situation. The more time this Trojan has, the worse your conditions become. Take immediate action. The prolonged mining causes harmful side effects. You face hardware damage and data loss. And that’s not even the tip of the iceberg. The Trojan consumes one other resource that is often overlooked. It also steals electricity. To carry out the intensive mining processes, your computer consumes an enormous amount of electricity. Bear this in mind when you see your next electricity bill. Xmr-stak.exe Trojan may double, even triple the amount you usually pay. Don’t put yourself through this torture. Remove the Trojan right now! Delete this invader for good!

Manual Xmr-stak.exe Removal Instructions

The Xmr-stak.exe infection is specifically designed to make money to its creators one way or another. The specialists from various antivirus companies like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, Avast, ESET, etc. advise that there is no harmless virus.

If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to remove the Xmr-stak.exe infection. Please, follow the procedures in the exact order. Please, consider to print this guide or have another computer at your disposal. You will NOT need any USB sticks or CDs.

STEP 1: Track down Xmr-stak.exe related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Xmr-stak.exe startup location

STEP 3: Delete Xmr-stak.exe traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Xmr-stak.exe related processes in the computer memory

• Open your Task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keys simultaneously
• Carefully review all processes and stop the suspicious ones.

• Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate Xmr-stak.exe startup location

Reveal Hidden Files

• Open any folder
• Click on “Organize” button
  
• Choose “Folder and Search Options”
• Select the “View” tab
• Select “Show hidden files and folders” option
• Uncheck “Hide protected operating system files”
• Click “Apply” and “OK” button

Clean Xmr-stak.exe virus from the windows registry

• Once the operating system loads press simultaneously the Windows Logo Button and the R key.

• A dialog box should open. Type “Regedit”

• WARNING! be very careful when editing the Microsoft Windows Registry as this may render the system broken.

Depending on your OS (x86 or x64) navigate to:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

• and delete the display Name: [RANDOM]

• Then open your explorer and navigate to: %appdata% folder and delete the malicious executable.

Clean your HOSTS file to avoid unwanted browser redirection

Navigate to %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/host

If you are hacked, there will be foreign IPs addresses connected to you at the bottom. Take a look below:

Step 4: Undo the possible damage done by Xmr-stak.exe

This particular Virus may alter your DNS settings.

Attention! this can break your internet connection. Before you change your DNS settings to use Google Public DNS for Xmr-stak.exe, be sure to write down the current server addresses on a piece of paper.

To fix the damage done by the virus you need to do the following.

• Click the Windows Start button to open the Start Menu, type control panel in the search box and select Control Panel in the results displayed above.
• go to Network and Internet
• then Network and Sharing Center
• then Change Adapter Settings
• Right-click on your active internet connection and click properties. Under the Networking tab, find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Left click on it and then click on properties. Both options should be automatic! By default it should be set to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and the second one to “Obtain DNS server address automatically!” If they are not just change them, however if you are part of a domain network you should contact your Domain Administrator to set these settings, otherwise the internet connection will break!!!

 

• Check your scheduled tasks to make sure the virus will not download itself again.

How to Permanently Remove Xmr-stak.exe Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

Please, have in mind that once you are infected with a single virus, it compromises your whole system or network and let all doors wide open for many other infections. To make sure manual removal is successful, we recommend to use a free scanner of any professional antimalware program to identify possible virus leftovers or temporary files.