A new Vollgar virus infects computers. All you need to know
Hackers are becoming more inventive these days. Now programs aimed at dishonest profit making can disguise themselves as honest software. Such abilities are possessed by so-called miners, that is, programs that start the cryptocurrency mining process on the computer of their victim. Such viruses should beware, especially considering that they can even infect the servers of well-known companies. Since May 2018, literally every day, 3,000 Microsoft SQL servers were affected by a new, aggressive and dangerous virus – Vollgar. This continues to this day, so it is important to know how to protect yourself from an unknown hidden miner. Next, we will talk about the features of the program, as well as how to avoid becoming a victim of scammers. So let’s get started.
What exactly happened?
Recently, a cybersecurity company at Microsoft published a report in which it noted that the Vollgar botnet has been hitting the company’s servers for two years by installing the necessary software for the hidden mining of the Monero Altcoin (XMR) and the Vollar token (VDS). In addition to Microsoft servers, the program affects computers in healthcare, aviation, and education enterprises in China, India, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States. Vollgar does not have a specific IP address from which the attack occurs. Apparently, scammers have their own database of infected computers from more than 120 machines, so it’s very difficult to track a specific source of the attack. Thus, even the attentive work of specialists could not detect server infections. Based on the report, the server can remain infected for two weeks until the virus displays its presence.
To protect yourself from the virus, you should understand what “symptofms” can occur in the affected computer. Let’s discuss what will identify and eliminate Vollgar.
How to determine if a machine is hit by a Vollgar?
Experts identify a number of manifestations of the presence of the virus in a computer system:
- Slow down the computer. All the power of the processor and video card does not go to the solution of user tasks, but to mining the above coins. Performance drops significantly as all resources are sent to process transactions. Roughly speaking, your computer becomes part of a mining farm of scammers who receive huge income using the power of infected networks. Carefully monitor the speed of the computer. If you notice that the machine does not show maximum performance, be sure to check the computer using the appropriate program;
- The emergence of new background processes. Carefully look through the task manager for performance. If you find hidden and unnecessary processes – cancel them to prevent fraudsters from making more money from dishonest activities;
- System overheating. A hidden miner makes the computer work at maximum power, which cannot but cause heating of the components. You can monitor the temperature through programs similar to AIDA64 and other related applications. Install the widget on your desktop and watch for system heating. If you notice excessive heat, take immediate action;
If you find signs of a hidden miner, take immediate action. As the computer must be cleaned of malware. A solution has already been found. The same company that found the virus provided ways to eliminate it. You can find specific counteraction programs on the Github website. After downloading the proposed client, you should go through the installation procedure and finally enjoy the full speed of the computer.
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