Clearing the Shadows: My Journey to Remove the “Great Discover” Malware

Recently, I found myself facing a daunting challenge—I discovered that my system was infected with a malware known as “Great Discover.” Despite being well-versed in dealing with viruses in the past, this was my first encounter with a Trojan, and I feared for the integrity of my computer. Although it’s been seven years since my last malware incident, my understanding of modern malware removal tools and antivirus scanners is limited. This blog post aims to share my experience and the steps I took to reclaim my computer, in hopes that it may assist others who find themselves in a similar predicament.

The Encounter: Discovering the Malware

This morning marked the beginning of my ordeal. I noticed a peculiar application running in my system tray, which, upon clicking, presented me with a pop-up offering instructions for its removal. The catch? It required solving an impossible captcha, leading me to research the program further. To my dismay, I discovered that “Great Discover” is a Trojan designed for cryptocurrency mining—something I naïvely had no prior knowledge about.

My First Steps: Tackling the Browser Hijack

In response to the malware’s attempts to confuse me with dubious browser extensions, my first action was to clear my browser history and reset the browser settings to default. Next, I ventured into the extensions menu, eliminating any unfamiliar additions that could have been installed without my consent.

Digging Deeper: Manual Cleanup

After addressing my browser, I moved on to my files. Navigating to C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86), I meticulously searched through folders, deleting numerous entries with suspicious names—some of which appeared to have been created months prior.

Following this, I accessed the Control Panel and scrutinized the list of installed applications, promptly removing any programs I could not recollect installing. It felt like peeling back the layers of an unwanted intrusion.

Implementing Security Measures

With initial clean-up underway, I understood the importance of ensuring my system was free from hidden threats. I downloaded Malwarebytes for a comprehensive scan. The first run revealed one threat, which I promptly quarantined and subsequently removed. To take extra precautions, I performed a second scan, which returned promising results—a clean slate.

Not satisfied with just one security tool, I also engaged Kaspersky’s virus removal tool for a thorough analysis. The results were the same: