Autofmt.exe executable file is related to a malevolent application that can correctly be defined as a coin miner trojan. That malware type utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system almost unusable as a result of high CPU usage.
What is Autofmt.exe process?
Autofmt.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have pointed out in the introduction, Autofmt.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the executive file may be different, however, the impacts are usually the identical. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware power of your personal computer to conduct this process. This virus does not take note of the fact that you probably want to use your PC for other activities – it will always consume over 80% of your CPU power.
Autofmt.exe – Very high CPU and GPU use
Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Autofmt.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes may result in sad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining term means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a strong computer is required. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of GPUs to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Fraudsters who gain money via this coin miner use someones’ hardware instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Autofmt.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, Autofmt.exe malware makes your computer overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, as all processor 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 web browser is open, you will likely suffer from incredibly sluggish efficiency. Pages can open for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person who does a job online.
Autofmt.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Autofmt.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Autochk.exe, Sapisvr.exe, Gamebarftserver.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Autofmt.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a single bad activity coin miners perform to your system. Autofmt.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your OS. To perform all malicious operations effectively, it wrecks the protection features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a load of new entries – they are added by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be reverted to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides making your PC slow, running at peak power for long times can cause damage to your machine as well as increase electricity expenses. PC elements are designed to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.
Compact and well-protected processor cooling system is not very easy to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if touched while running, for example, by the user much earlier before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Autofmt.exe virus can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Video cards are also prone to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an unwanted situation when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Autofmt.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 widespread malevolent programs through “major” malware. Adware sometimes works as a carrier for Autofmt.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that about 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Autofmt.exe is just one of them.4
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
An additional way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the suspicious site as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to make money. For this reason, there is a very big temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for each installation. Prior to criticizing these guys for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid purchasing the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Autofmt.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 involves using special app. Effective anti-malware program should have high performance at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak systems. Furthermore, it is recommended to have on-run security in your protection solution – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements for different reasons. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits all of the mentioned characteristics.5
Before the virus removal, it is important to boot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Autofmt.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.
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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party programs, just like the majority of non-crucial system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the system without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
Remove Autofmt.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 Autofmt.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Autofmt.exe
Description: The Autofmt.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Autofmt.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.
