Certenrollctrl.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Certenrollctrl.exe executable file belongs to a harmful application that can correctly be defined as a coin miner virus. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system pretty much unusable as a result of high CPU usage.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review
It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!
When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.
Gridinsoft Anti-Malware 6-day trial available.
EULA | Privacy Policy | 10% Off Coupon
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to be the first to know about news and our exclusive materials on information security.

What is Certenrollctrl.exe process?

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

As I have mentioned earlier, Certenrollctrl.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the executive file can be diverse, but the consequences are generally the identical. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware capacity of your personal computer to conduct this process. This malware does not care about the fact that you may want to make use of your desktop for other tasks – it will always take over 80% of your CPU power.

Certenrollctrl.exe Windows Process

Certenrollctrl.exe – Very high CPU and GPU use

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will likely struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as critical as CPU for system work, so Certenrollctrl.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It often can cause bad results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a strong PC is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of GPUs to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who make profit 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

  • Microsoft Defender is stopped;
  • CPU and GPU is loaded at 80-90% exactly after the system start
  • Cooling fans are running at high speed and create a lot of noise
  • A single process in Task Manager consumes all CPU and GPU power
  • How dangerous is the Certenrollctrl.exe miner?

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

    First, Certenrollctrl.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, because all processor power is consumed by a malware. That malware does not care for your necessities, all it focuses on is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely struggle with incredibly slow efficiency. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that works online.

    Certenrollctrl.exe Technical Summary.

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

    “Visible” harm is not a single negative activity coin miners perform to your system. Certenrollctrl.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To perform all malicious operations correctly, it ruins the protection mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops 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 are about to be reverted to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your PC’s performance, performing at peak level for long times may cause damage to your machine and raise electricity bills. PC elements are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Small and covered CPU cooling system is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while spinning, for example, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Certenrollctrl.exe malware can easily lead to GPU failure3. Video cards are also prone to have fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an undesirable situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Certenrollctrl.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 among “severe” viruses. Adware sometimes acts as a carrier for Certenrollctrl.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that approximately 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Certenrollctrl.exe is just among 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 suspicious website as a part of a program. People that spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to earn money. Therefore, there is a very big lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for every setup. Before criticizing these individuals for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid buying the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Certenrollctrl.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 using special program. Effective anti-malware program must have high performance at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization also on weak systems. Additionally, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your protection tool – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements for different reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal option that fits each of the specified qualities.4

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Certenrollctrl.exe miner consumes a lot of processor capacity, it is needed 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.

    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 software, just like the majority of non-critical operating system components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Certenrollctrl.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 Certenrollctrl.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Certenrollctrl.exe

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

    Sending
    User Review
    3.8 (5 votes)
    Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)

    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.

    Spanish Turkish

    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.

    Leave a Reply

    Sending