Appvdllsurrogate.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Appvdllsurrogate.exe executable file comes from a malevolent program that can accurately be recognized as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware type uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system almost unfunctional because of high CPU use.
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What is Appvdllsurrogate.exe process?

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

As I have actually pointed out earlier, Appvdllsurrogate.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file may be diverse, however, the effects are generally the identical. Considering that coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware power of your desktop to perform this operation. This malware doesn’t take note of the fact that you may need to make use of your PC for other activities – it will constantly consume over 80% of your CPU power.

Appvdllsurrogate.exe Windows Process

Appvdllsurrogate.exe – Really high CPU and GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will likely struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as critical as CPU for system work, so Appvdllsurrogate.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use it all. It sometimes may lead to unhappy consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very strong machine is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of dozens of GPUs to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. 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

  • Extremely bad performance
  • CPU/GPU cooler fan creates a lot of noise
  • High temperature of the device (for laptops)
  • 80-90% consumption of CPU/GPU resources by an unknown process
  • Microsoft Defender is not working
  • How dangerous is the Appvdllsurrogate.exe miner?

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

    First off, Appvdllsurrogate.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, since all CPU power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your demands, all it focuses on is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from extremely slow performance. Pages can open for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who works online.

    Appvdllsurrogate.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameAppvdllsurrogate.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorEoppframe.exe, Appvclient.exe, Applytrustoffline.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Appvdllsurrogate.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a single negative activity coin miners do to your PC. Appvdllsurrogate.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To perform all malicious operations effectively, it wrecks the security components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a number of new notes – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be reverted to the original in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak power for long times may trigger damage to your device and increase power expenses. PC elements are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Little and covered processor fan is hard to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while spinning, for example, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Appvdllsurrogate.exe virus can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. GPUs are also prone to have increased wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an unwanted case when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Appvdllsurrogate.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 malevolent programs among “major” viruses. Adware frequently serves as a carrier for Appvdllsurrogate.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that about 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Appvdllsurrogate.exe is right 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 untrustworthy website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to make money. Thus, there is a huge lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for every installation. Prior to blaming these guys for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program and new parts for your PC.

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

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

    Removing such a virus needs using specific app. Appropriate anti-malware program must have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization also on weak PCs. Furthermore, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your protection tool – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these functions for different factors. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal option that fits each of the mentioned qualities.5

    Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Appvdllsurrogate.exe miner takes a lot of processor power, it is required to halt 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 applications, just like the majority of non-critical Windows components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Appvdllsurrogate.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 Appvdllsurrogate.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Appvdllsurrogate.exe

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