Afraid You're Infected With Monero Malware From Pirated 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Movie? Here's How to Remove It

According to security reports, fans who tried downloading a pirated "Spider-Man: No Way Home" movie from torrent sites might have received an unpleasant surprise from the internet.

The pirated copies may have contained a crypto miner malware called Monero. Devices infected with the Monero malware are recommended to perform a cleanup immediately.

After a long wait, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" finally made its debut last year, December 17. This movie broke box office records, with a gross profit of over $1 billion globally, per ScreenRant.

Unfortunately for other fans, the movie is yet to be available on popular streaming platforms. This prompted others to look for an alternative way to watch the film, which involves pirated copies.

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Torrent Download: Bitcoin Miner Malware

According to earlier reports, a torrent download file for the movie circulated on the internet. This file is suspected to be of Russian origin because of its torrent name, "spiderman_net_putidomoi.torrent.exe."

Fans who downloaded this file ended up being infected with a malware miner called Monero. Be warned that this malware has a lot of annoying features.

First, Monero malware is hard to detect because it hides its processes through "legitimate" names by impersonating apps like Google. Second, it slows an infected device due to its heavy program. Lastly, it would require a very high CPU usage. This implies a massive energy consumption rate and an expensive electricity bill.

Victims who recognize these indicators are recommended to check their devices for possible infection.

How to Remove Monero Malware

YouTuber MalwareFox explained the process of checking for cryptocurrency miner malware and removing it. He also gave seven steps to resolve the issue. Users are recommended to follow these steps in proper order, which means they should try the first option before moving to the second one.

1. Run Microsoft Defender Scan: Open "Windows Security," "Virus and Threat Protection," and click on "Full Scan." If any threats are discovered, click on the "Remove" option.
2. Run Microsoft Defender Offline Scan: Follow the previous steps but instead of clicking "Full Scan," choose the "Microsoft Defender Offline Scan" option. This might take a few restarts. Wait for the process to complete.
3. Boot in Safe Mode: Press the "Windows Icon" together with "R" to open the command prompt. Type in "msconfig." Open the "Boot" tab and check on the "Safe Boot" "Normal" option. Restart the PC.
4. Find and Remove Suspicious Programs: Open "Control Panel" and "Uninstall Program." Search for unnecessary or suspicious programs and uninstall them.
5. Delete Temporary Files: Search and open "Disk Cleanup." Deselect everything except "Temporary Internet Files" and "Temporary Files." Click "OK" and "Delete Files" to complete.
6. Clear the Startup: To ensure that no suspicious programs are running in the background, open the "Task Manager." Click on "Startup" and disable any unnecessary program.
7. Reset Browser Settings: Lastly, open the primary web browser, click on its "Settings," and activate the option "Reset Settings." Afterward, follow the steps "Boot in Safe Mode" and uncheck the "Safe Boot" "Normal" option. Click "Apply" and "OK" to finish the cleanup.