Checker.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey

Checker.exe executable file is related to a malevolent application that can accurately be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware type utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer pretty much unfunctional as a result of high CPU utilization.

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 Checker.exe process?

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

As I have actually specified earlier, Checker.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the .exe file may be different, however, the consequences are generally the same. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware capacity of your PC to perform this operation. This virus doesn’t care about the fact that you may want to make use of your PC for other tasks – it will always take over 80% of your processor power.

Checker.exe Windows Process

Checker.exe – Really high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often utilized on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Checker.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use it all. It often can lead to unhappy results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a strong computer is required. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such 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 Checker.exe miner?

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

    Firstly, Checker.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, as all CPU power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, all it pays attention to is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from extremely slow performance. Pages can open up for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who does a job online.

    Checker.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameChecker.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorRockstarservice.exe, Nahimicapisvc64.exe, Originclientservice.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Checker.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a single negative activity coin miners perform to your personal computer. Checker.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To complete all malicious functions properly, it wrecks the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments are about to be gone back to the original in the process of PC recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your system’s performance, performing at peak level for a long period of time can cause damage to your machine as well as increase power bills. PC elements are designed to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Tiny and covered CPU fan is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if touched while spinning, for example, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Checker.exe can easily lead to GPU failure3. Graphic cards are also prone to have increased wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely an undesirable case when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Checker.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 widespread malicious programs among “severe” viruses. Adware sometimes serves as a carrier for Checker.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that around 30% of all viruses spread through the malicious banners are coin miners – and Checker.exe is just among 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 unreliable site as a part of a program. People who spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. For this reason, there is a very big lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for every installation. Before criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid purchasing the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus program as well as new parts for your PC.

    How to remove the Checker.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 requires making use of specific program. Proper security tool should have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak PCs. In addition, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your security tool – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for different reasons. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal choice that fits all of the discussed qualities.4

    Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Checker.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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party programs, just like the majority of non-crucial operating system components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Checker.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 Checker.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Checker.exe

    Description: The Checker.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Checker.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
    3.6 (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