Bthudtask.exe Virus (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Bthudtask.exe executable file is related to a malicious application that can correctly be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer almost unfunctional due to high CPU usage.

What is Bthudtask.exe process?

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

As I have pointed out previously, Bthudtask.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file can be different, but the effects are usually the identical. Since coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware capacity of your PC to perform this process. This malware does not take note of the fact that you may need to use your computer for other activities – it will consistently consume over 80% of your CPU power.

Bthudtask.exe Windows Process

Bthudtask.exe – Very high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Bthudtask.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use it all. It often may lead to sad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a strong machine is required. Exactly, the video card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who make profit 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 Bthudtask.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, Bthudtask.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, because all CPU power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your needs, all it pays attention to is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from exceptionally sluggish performance. Pages will open up for years, any sort of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.

    Bthudtask.exe Technical Summary.

    File Name Bthudtask.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Bootim.exe, Bitsadmin.exe, Hermotet.exe
    Removal Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Bthudtask.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary negative activity coin miners do to your computer. Bthudtask.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To complete all malevolent operations successfully, it wrecks the protection mechanisms 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 number of new entries – they are added by this coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes shall be gone back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides slowing down your computer, performing at peak power for a long period of time may cause damage to your device and increase power bills. PC components are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Small and well-protected processor fan is not very easy to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while working, for instance, by the user much earlier before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Bthudtask.exe can easily lead to GPU failure3. GPUs are also tend to have increased wearing when used for crypto mining. It is likely an undesirable case when the performance of your GPU plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Bthudtask.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 prevalent malicious programs through “major” malware. Adware sometimes works as a carrier for Bthudtask.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all malware spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and Bthudtask.exe is right one of them.

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    Another way you could get this thing on your computer is by downloading it from the suspicious website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to make money. Therefore, there is a very big lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for each installation. Before criticizing these guys for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your computer.

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

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

    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 programs, along with the majority of non-critical Windows components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the PC without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    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.

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    About the author

    Robert Bailey

    Security engineer focused on malware behavior, removal workflows, and Windows hardening. Robert reviews threat articles for practical accuracy, checking detection names, symptoms, and cleanup steps before publication.

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