Askelp.exe executable file is related to a harmful application that can accurately be defined as a coin miner trojan. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system roughly nonfunctional because of high CPU use.
What is Askelp.exe process?
Askelp.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have specified in the previous paragraph, Askelp.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file may be different, however, the consequences are usually the same. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware power of your PC to conduct this process. This virus does not take note of the fact that you probably want to use your computer for other activities – it will consistently use over 80% of your CPU power.
Askelp.exe – Really high CPU/GPU use
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as crucial as CPU for system work, so Askelp.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use it all. It sometimes can lead to sad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Crypto mining means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a high-end PC is needed. Exactly, the video card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of dozens of video cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Fraudsters who gain money 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
How dangerous is the Askelp.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
First of all, Askelp.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, since all processor power is used by a malware. 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 experience incredibly slow efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any type of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who does a job online.
Askelp.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Askelp.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Wpitoolsautoupdate.exe, Dtaskmanagerbase.exe, Wpinotifystart.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Askelp.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a single unpleasant thing coin miners do to your personal computer. Askelp.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malicious functions correctly, it ruins the protection mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a load of new entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be reverted to the original in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides decreasing your computer’s performance, performing at peak power for long times can trigger damage to your machine and increase power expenses. Hardware components are created to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.
Little and covered CPU fan is hard to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if affected while working, for example, by the user much earlier before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Askelp.exe can easily lead to GPU failure3. Video cards are also prone to have very fast wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is likely an undesirable case when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Askelp.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 one of the most common malevolent programs among “severe” malware. Adware sometimes functions as a carrier for Askelp.exe malware injection: it shows 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. But the statistics say that about 30% of all malware spread through the malicious banners are coin miners – and Askelp.exe is just with them.4
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 dubious website as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to get paid. 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 setup. Prior to criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid purchasing the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program and new parts for your PC.
How to remove the Askelp.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 demands using special app. Proper security tool should have high performance at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization even on weak systems. In addition, it is better to have proactive protection in your protection solution – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for different factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect option that fits all of the specified features.5
Before the malware removal, it is important to reboot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Askelp.exe miner takes a lot of processor capacity, 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.
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 apps, along with the majority of non-crucial system components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Askelp.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 Askelp.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Askelp.exe
Description: The Askelp.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Askelp.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.
