Authhost.exe executable file is related to a malicious application that can correctly be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware type utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer almost unfunctional because of high CPU use.
What is Authhost.exe process?
Authhost.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have specified previously, Authhost.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file may be different, but the impacts are usually the identical. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware capacity of your personal computer to conduct this process. This virus does not take note of the fact that you probably need to use your system for other tasks – it will consistently consume over 80% of your processor power.
Authhost.exe – Very high CPU/GPU use
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally make use of GPU power for their operations. In that situation, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as critical as CPU for system work, so Authhost.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes may lead to sad results.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything 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 task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. 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 Authhost.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, Authhost.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, since all processor power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your needs, all it pays attention to is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely experience extremely slow performance. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that does a job online.
Authhost.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Authhost.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Atbroker.exe, At.exe, Appvshnotify.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Authhost.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary bad thing coin miners perform to your personal computer. Authhost.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To conduct all malevolent functions properly, 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 ton of new entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments shall be thrown back to the original in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your PC, performing at peak power for a long period of time can trigger damage to your device as well as increase electricity costs. Hardware components are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.
Tiny and covered processor fan is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while spinning, for instance, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Authhost.exe malware can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Video cards are also prone to have very fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an unwanted case when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Authhost.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 malevolent programs through “severe” malware. Adware frequently serves as a carrier for Authhost.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that about 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Authhost.exe is just with them.4
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
Another way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the dubious website as a part of a program. People who spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. Therefore, there is a very big temptation to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for every installation. Before criticizing these people for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your desktop.
How to remove the Authhost.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 software. Appropriate security tool must have high performance at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak systems. On top of that, it is recommended to have on-run protection in your protection tool – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions for various factors. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb option that fits each of the specified features.5
Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Authhost.exe miner takes a lot of CPU 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.
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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, along with the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the PC without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Authhost.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 Authhost.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Authhost.exe
Description: The Authhost.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Authhost.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.
