Appmodule.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Appmodule.exe process is related to a malevolent application that can correctly be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware type uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system pretty much unfunctional because of high CPU usage.
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What is Appmodule.exe process?

Appmodule.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have specified previously, Appmodule.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file can be different, however, the effects are generally the identical. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware capacity of your desktop to run this procedure. This virus does not care about the fact that you probably want to make use of your computer for other activities – it will constantly consume over 80% of your processor power.

Appmodule.exe Windows Process

Appmodule.exe – Very high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their tasks. In that situation, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as important as CPU for system work, so Appmodule.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use all of it. It sometimes may result in bad consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining term means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful desktop is required. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of graphic cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ PCs instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2

List of the typical coin miner symptoms

  • Your device overheats (system unit/laptop body is very hot)
  • 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 Appmodule.exe miner?

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

    Firstly, Appmodule.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, since all processor power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your needs, all it pays attention to is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely suffer from incredibly slow performance. Pages will open up for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who works online.

    Appmodule.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameAppmodule.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorUrr.exe, Nheqagent.exe, Ggshka.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Appmodule.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a single bad thing coin miners perform to your system. Appmodule.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To carry out all malicious operations correctly, it ruins the security mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a number of new notes – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your system to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes shall be thrown back to the initial state in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your PC’s performance, running at peak power for long times can trigger damage to your device as well as increase power expenses. PC components are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Little and covered processor cooling system is hard to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if touched while running, for instance, by the user much earlier before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Appmodule.exe miner can easily lead to GPU failure3. GPUs are also prone to have increased wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely an undesirable case when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% only after several weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Appmodule.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 widespread malevolent programs through “serious” malware. Adware sometimes functions as a carrier for Appmodule.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that around 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Appmodule.exe is just among them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    An additional way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the suspicious site as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of favored programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to earn money. Therefore, there is a very big temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for every installation. Prior to blaming these people for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid purchasing the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus software and new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Appmodule.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 needs using specific program. Appropriate anti-malware program should have high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak systems. Additionally, it is better to have proactive security in your protection solution – to halt the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for various factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect option that fits each of the specified features.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to reboot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Appmodule.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU power, it is needed 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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, just like the majority of non-crucial operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Appmodule.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.

    GridinSoft Anti-Malware free trial

    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 Appmodule.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Appmodule.exe

    Description: The Appmodule.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Appmodule.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. Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
    2. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
    3. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
    4. Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
    5. 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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