Bootsect.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Bootsect.exe executable file is related to a harmful program that can correctly be recognized as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer roughly nonfunctional as a result of high CPU use.
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What is Bootsect.exe process?

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

As I have actually specified in the introduction, Bootsect.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file may be different, but the consequences are usually the identical. Since coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware capacity of your personal computer to run this process. This malware doesn’t take note of the fact that you may need to make use of your device for other tasks – it will continuously take over 80% of your processor power.

Bootsect.exe Windows Process

Bootsect.exe – Really high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as important as CPU for system work, so Bootsect.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It sometimes can lead to sad consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very strong computer is required. Exactly, the video card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks 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

  • 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 Bootsect.exe miner?

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

    Firstly, Bootsect.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, because all processor power is consumed by a malware. That malware does not care for your necessities, all it focuses on is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely struggle with exceptionally slow performance. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who does a job online.

    Bootsect.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameBootsect.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorBootim.exe, Bitsadmin.exe, Hermotet.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Bootsect.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single unpleasant activity coin miners do to your system. Bootsect.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To complete all malevolent operations successfully, it ruins the protection mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new notes – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments shall be thrown back to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak power for long times may cause damage to your machine as well as raise power bills. PC elements are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Tiny and well-protected CPU cooling system is hard to crack. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while spinning, for instance, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Bootsect.exe miner can easily lead to GPU failure3. Video cards are also prone to have increased wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely an undesirable case when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Bootsect.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 malicious programs through “severe” viruses. Adware frequently functions as a carrier for Bootsect.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that around 30% of all malware spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Bootsect.exe is just one of them.

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    One more way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the unreliable website as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to earn money. Therefore, there is a huge temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for every setup. Before criticizing these people for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid purchasing the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program as well as new parts for your desktop.

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

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

    Eliminating such a virus requires making use of special program. Effective anti-malware program should have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage also on weak PCs. Furthermore, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your security tool – to stop the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for various reasons. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great option that fits each of the discussed qualities.4

    Before the malware removal, it is important to boot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Bootsect.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.

    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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, along with the majority of non-critical operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Bootsect.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 Bootsect.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Bootsect.exe

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