PUP.Optional.Miner

What is PUP.Optional.Miner infection?

In this article you will see the information about the PUP.Optional.Miner detection and also its adverse influence on your computer system. This program is a legitimate coin mining tool, which has an official website and is appreciated relatively well.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

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PUP.Optional.Miner is a detection name for a legitimate coin mining tool. However, there is no guarantee that you have installed it by your own wish. If you cannot remember that you have installed any tools for cryptocurrency mining – you are definitely in danger. The possible consequences of an alien coin miner activity are very unpleasant. But if you have set up a cryptomining program – don’t worry, that is just a warning detection. Since coin miners are often used by hackers, they are considered hacktools and often marked as unwanted programs.

PUP.Optional.Miner Summary

These adjustments can be as adheres to:

• SetUnhandledExceptionFilter detected (possible anti-debug);
• Yara rule detections observed from a process memory dump/dropped files/CAPE;
• Creates RWX memory;
• Possible date expiration check, exits too soon after checking local time;
• Dynamic (imported) function loading detected;
• Reads data out of its own binary image;
• Installs OpenCL library, probably to mine Bitcoins;
• CAPE extracted potentially suspicious content;
• Drops a binary and executes it;
• Authenticode signature is invalid;
• Uses Windows utilities for basic functionality;
• Creates or sets a registry key to a long series of bytes, possibly to store a binary or malware config;
• Installs itself for autorun at Windows startup;

PUP.Optional.Miner

The most regular channels where malicious PUP.Optional.Miner examples are injected are:

• Malvertising on the Web;
• Banners shown to you by adware;
• Dubious tools downloaded online – system or registry optimizers, driver updaters, et cetera;

Right after the PUP.Optional.Miner is injected, it starts exploiting your hardware. CPU load, as well as GPU consumption, can reach 80-90%, making all normal tasks impossible. Such high numbers are needed for the exact task – cryptocurrency mining. Mining, i.e. calculating the transaction hash, is a very computationally intensive process. As you could hear, mining is usually conducted on so-called cryptomining farms – special computers that have a specific hardware setup. Mining on a regular PC makes it useless for daily tasks – browsing or modeling. Moreover, such high loads can lead to quick degradation of your hardware elements. Removing the unwanted PUP.Optional.Miner must be your main task.

PUP.Optional.Miner distribution channels.

Spreading of coin miners is oftentimes conducted through malvertising. Malicious banners can be placed by a greedy website owner, as well as shown to you by adware. Adware, exactly, is one of the most popular sources of coin miner injection. People somewhy have a silly habit to click the banners they see online, ignoring the risks this action can carry. Another way of miner injection is through a trojan virus form of injection. When it is disguised as a legitimate program, no one will just think that it can cause such serious problems.

Regardless of the exact way of PUP.Optional.Miner injection, the advice about how to avoid it is pretty easy. Do not click on the banners online – whatever they offer to you, it is too risky. If you see the ad about an attractive deal from a known retailer – better go on its website and check it manually. Also, do not trust the programs from third-party resources. Torrent-trackers, “free” software distribution sites and online forums are the best places to distribute your malware. Be careful online – and your system will be safe.

Technical details

File Info:
name: 53AECC5986BCC31EC7B4.mlw
path: /opt/CAPEv2/storage/binaries/f3d965d0c56e2d348b8f9d9614c3835bfc6ccd35e2e8fb46982ebef6b6c22737
crc32: F8CC686A
md5: 53aecc5986bcc31ec7b4a72cbb96e1d0
sha1: c6dfa8a1830312053a9a64a59ffc72e6d97ba652
sha256: f3d965d0c56e2d348b8f9d9614c3835bfc6ccd35e2e8fb46982ebef6b6c22737
sha512: 8344270919ae313d9bec359a56dc0589572a8decf852d57e034a34ace8c2bc15ad72fa89d3a2858d2ad92ea808ca1f8283c42df0e8cccb232a34a5fb88aacca8
ssdeep: 98304:cZeNrBaYNB75V2kvcoR10n8uk52B3VD7bd0i4S2i034CxoxJOp+DNtADIep0Cr9r:cyBaYPvcoRQ8urPbdBpPCxesatADYMS8
type: PE32 executable (GUI) Intel 80386, for MS Windows
tlsh: T1E47633296EC57CF8FDABBBB0F7F555D4F5A0622A2F62D0860518772D0CC3B8714652A0
sha3_384: c16b4865f937d4dd0b83d3eefcd33a888ea4da87e038a5f9b82026e499ac2610dd8b5b18ba392e16d5b8452edd823031
ep_bytes: 81ec8001000053555633db57895c2418
timestamp: 2009-12-05 22:50:46

Version Info:
0: [No Data]

PUP.Optional.Miner also known as:

How to remove PUP.Optional.Miner virus?

Unwanted application has ofter come with other viruses and spyware. This threats can steal account credentials, or crypt your documents for ransom.

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There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent PC threats than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft².

Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:

Run the setup file.

When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your system.

An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

Press “Install” button.

Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.

Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your system for PUP.Optional.Miner files and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.

Click on “Clean Now”.

When the scan has finished, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.

Are Your Protected?

GridinSoft Anti-Malware will scan and clean your PC for free in the trial period. The free version offer real-time protection for first 2 days. If you want to be fully protected at all times – I can recommended you to purchase a full version:

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If the guide doesn’t help you to remove PUP.Optional.Miner you can always ask me in the comments for getting help.

1. GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
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