2nd.exe executable file comes from a malicious program that can correctly be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware type uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer almost unusable as a result of high CPU use.
What is 2nd.exe process?
2nd.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have mentioned in the previous paragraph, 2nd.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the .exe file may be different, but the impacts are generally the identical. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware power of your PC to perform this operation. This virus does not take note of the fact that you probably want to use your device for other activities – it will constantly consume over 80% of your processor power.
2nd.exe – Really high CPU and GPU use
Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their tasks. In that situation, you will likely struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as crucial as CPU for system work, so 2nd.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use all of it. It often may lead to sad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Crypto mining means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very strong computer is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of dozens of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “general” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who gain money via this coin miner use someones’ computers instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the 2nd.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
Firstly, 2nd.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, since all CPU power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your demands, all it focuses on is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely suffer from incredibly sluggish efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person that works online.
2nd.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | 2nd.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Archiver.exe, Aruler.exe, Shtirlitz.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic 2nd.exe removal. |
“Visible” damage is not a solitary bad thing coin miners do to your computer. 2nd.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To complete all malicious operations correctly, it ruins the protection mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new entries – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments shall be gone back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides decreasing your system’s performance, performing at peak power for a long period of time may cause damage to your machine as well as raise electricity costs. Hardware elements are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Little and covered CPU cooling system is not very easy to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if touched while working, for example, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by 2nd.exe can easily lead to GPU failure3. Video cards are also tend to have increased wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely an unwanted case when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get 2nd.exe coin miner virus?
Coin miners are spread through different ways, but their main sources are malicious banners and programs from dubious sources
Coin miners are the most common malicious programs through “severe” viruses. Adware sometimes works as a carrier for 2nd.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that about 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and 2nd.exe is right among them.4
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
An additional way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the dubious web page as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to make money. For this reason, there is a very big lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for each installation. Before blaming these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program and new parts for your computer.
How to remove the 2nd.exe miner from my PC?
The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software
Getting rid of such a virus requires making use of special program. Proper antivirus must have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization also on weak computers. On top of that, it is recommended to have proactive security in your security tool – to stop the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions for various reasons. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits each of the specified qualities.5
Before the malware removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since 2nd.exe miner takes a lot of processor capacity, it is required to stop it before launching the security program. Otherwise, your scan will last for years, even though the GridinSoft program is pretty lightweight.
Booting the PC into Safe Mode with Networking
Press the Start button, then choose Power, and click on Reboot while holding the Shift key on the keyboard.
Windows will reboot into recovery mode. In that mode, choose Troubleshoot→ Startup Settings→ Safe Mode with Networking. Press the corresponding button on your keyboard to choose that option.
When your PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, along with the majority of non-crucial operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
Remove 2nd.exe coin miner virus with GridinSoft Anti-Malware
Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware. You can use this anti-malware program for free during its 6-day trial period. In that term, all functions are available, and it takes no payments to remove malware from your system.
After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.
When the scan is finished, press the Clean Now button to remove all detected elements from your system. This procedure takes less than a minute.
Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.
Remove 2nd.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: 2nd.exe
Description: The 2nd.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This 2nd.exe will create your CPU to go for very warm temperatures for prolonged periods of time, which could reduce the life of the CPU.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Trojan
User Review
( votes)References
- Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
- Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
- Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
- Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
