AGSService.exe Virus: What is it?

Written by Robert Bailey
AGSService.exe is a process associated with the AMD Gaming Evolved software. AMD Gaming Evolved is a gaming optimization tool that helps gamers optimize their gaming experience by optimizing game settings, capturing gameplay, and streaming.

The AGSService.exe process is part of the AMD Gaming Evolved software’s backend and runs in the background to help the software manage game settings and capture gameplay. It is responsible for monitoring and adjusting game settings in real time to optimize the game’s performance on the user’s computer.

If you have AMD Gaming Evolved installed on your computer, you may notice the AGSService.exe process running in the background when you launch a game. If you no longer use AMD Gaming Evolved, you can uninstall it through the Control Panel on your Windows computer.

If you suspect that AGSService.exe is linked to a Trojan Coin Miner, you should run a malware scan on your computer using reputable antivirus software. This will help you to identify any malicious files on your system and remove them.

Additionally, it is always a good practice to keep your computer’s security software and operating system up to date, avoid downloading and installing software from untrusted sources, and regularly scan your computer for malware to minimize the risk of infection.

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What is AGSService.exe process?

AGSService.exe is a process associated with the AMD Gaming Evolved software

As mentioned before, AGSService.exe can be a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file can be diverse, but the effects are generally identical. Since coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware capacity of your desktop to run this procedure. This malware doesn’t note that you may need to use your system for other activities – it will constantly use over 80% of your processor power.

Agsservice.exe Windows Process

AGSService.exe – Extremely high CPU as well as GPU use

Besides CPU usage, some coin miners utilize GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will probably struggle to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as critical as the processor for system work, so Agsservice.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes may cause bad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything based on blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a high-end desktop is needed. The graphic card is better for this purpose because more cores are available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Crooks who gain money via this coin miner use someone’s computers instead, even if they are used for regular activity.1

List of the typical coin miner symptoms

  • Your device overheats (system unit/laptop body is scorching)
  • You are not able to open your apps, or they are opening for ages
  • Unknown process is running in the background and consumes your PC resources
  • Windows Defender does not respond
  • How dangerous is the Agsservice.exe miner?

    Coin miners do not deal damage to your files. However, they do a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system

    First off, Agsservice.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It cannot run your applications since a virus consumes all CPU power. That malware does not care for your demands. All it pays attention to is generating income for you. Even if you are patient and wait until the browser opens, you will likely suffer from extremely sluggish efficiency. Pages will open for years. Any logins will take about a minute – just a horror story for someone who works online.

    Agsservice.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameAgsservice.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorCorsairlink4.exe, Acrotray.exe, Agmservice.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Agsservice.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single negative thing coin miners perform to your PC. Agsservice.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your OS. To conduct all malicious functions successfully, it ruins the security components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new entries – this trojan miner brings them in to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be thrown back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your system’s performance, running at peak power for long times may trigger damage to your device as well as raise power costs. Hardware components are designed to easily get along with high loads, but they can do so only in case when they are in good shape.

    Small and well-protected processor cooling system is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if touched while spinning, for example, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Agsservice.exe virus can easily lead to graphic card failure2. Graphic cards are also tend to have increased wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely a bad situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get the AGSService.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 prevalent malicious programs through “severe” viruses. Adware frequently acts as a carrier for Agsservice.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that around 30% of all malware spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and Agsservice.exe is just with them.

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    Another way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the suspicious site as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to earn money. Thus, there is a huge temptation to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for every setup. Prior to criticizing these guys for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Agsservice.exe miner from my PC?

    The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software

    Eliminating such a virus involves using special program. Appropriate security tool should have high performance at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage even on weak PCs. Additionally, it is better to have proactive protection in your security solution – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements for different reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great option that fits each of the specified qualities.3

    Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Agsservice.exe miner takes a lot of processor power, 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.

    Boot into Windows Safe Mode

    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.

    windows safe mode boot option with command prompt

    When your computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party programs, just like the majority of non-critical system components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Agsservice.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.

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    After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.

    Scanning in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

    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.

    GridinSoft Anti-Malware after the scan process

    Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.

    Remove Agsservice.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Agsservice.exe

    Description: The Agsservice.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Agsservice.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

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    References

    1. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
    2. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
    3. Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

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    About the author

    Robert Bailey

    I'm Robert Bailey, a passionate Security Engineer with a deep fascination for all things related to malware, reverse engineering, and white hat ethical hacking.

    As a white hat hacker, I firmly believe in the power of ethical hacking to bolster security measures. By identifying vulnerabilities and providing solutions, I contribute to the proactive defense of digital infrastructures.

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