Overcoming Malware: My Experience with “Great Discover” Trojan

In today’s digital landscape, encountering malware can be a daunting experience. As someone who hadn’t faced such an issue in over seven years, my recent battle with the “Great Discover” Trojan was both surprising and educational. For those unfamiliar with the complexities of malware removal, I want to share my journey in dealing with this unwelcome intrusion, hoping it may guide others facing similar challenges.

The Discovery

This morning began like any other until I noticed an unfamiliar program running in my system tray. A quick investigation revealed a pop-up directing me to uninstall it, but to my frustration, it required solving an impossible captcha. A brief Google search confirmed my fears: I had indeed encountered malware, specifically a Trojan known for cryptocurrency mining—an area I admittedly knew little about.

My Approach to Cleanup

Given the lack of comprehensive resources about “Great Discover,” I decided to document my steps, both to track my progress and potentially aid others in similar circumstances.

Step 1: Browser Overhaul

First things first, I tackled my web browser. I cleaned my browser history and reset its settings to default. I also reviewed my extensions, removing anything unfamiliar that could have been added without my consent.

Step 2: System File Check

Next, I ventured into my system files. I navigated to C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86), where I found and removed numerous folders containing suspicious names that I was certain I hadn’t installed.

Step 3: Control Panel Review

Following that, I explored the Control Panel and went to “Programs and Features.” Here, I scrutinized the list for any odd programs that looked out of place and promptly deleted them.

Running Malware Scans

With the initial cleanup behind me, I turned to Malwarebytes for a thorough scan. The first run revealed one issue, which I quarantined and removed. A second scan came back clear, giving me a slight sense of reassurance. However, I wanted to be thorough, so I downloaded Kaspersky’s virus removal tool as an additional safety measure, which also confirmed that my system was clean.

Confirming System Integrity

I opened the Task Manager to check for any processes consuming excessive resources and noted that the strange program in the tray had vanished. However, I observed some changes in my system’s startup settings, as programs like Discord and Spotify were launching automatically, despite having disabled that option