Cleano.exe executable file comes from a harmful program that can correctly be defined as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system roughly unusable as a result of high CPU utilization.
What is Cleano.exe process?
Cleano.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have actually pointed out before, Cleano.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the executive file may be diverse, but the impacts are usually the same. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware capacity of your desktop to perform this process. This virus does not pay attention to the fact that you may want to make use of your machine for other tasks – it will consistently take over 80% of your CPU power.
Cleano.exe – Very high CPU and GPU use
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so Cleano.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes can lead to bad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very strong computer is required. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of dozens of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Crooks who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ computers instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Cleano.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
First off, Cleano.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, since all CPU power is consumed by a virus. 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 browser is open, you will likely suffer from exceptionally sluggish performance. Pages can open up for years, any type of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person who does a job online.
Cleano.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Cleano.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Lineinst.exe, Minerhash.exe, Zecminer64.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Cleano.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary negative activity coin miners perform to your PC. Cleano.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your OS. To complete all malicious operations effectively, it ruins the security mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a load of new notes – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be reverted to the initial state in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your computer, running at peak power for long times may trigger damage to your device and increase electricity bills. Hardware 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 fan is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while working, for instance, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Cleano.exe virus can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Graphic cards are also prone to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an undesirable case when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Cleano.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 “serious” malware. Adware sometimes functions as a carrier for Cleano.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that around 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Cleano.exe is right among them.4
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 website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to get paid. Thus, there is a huge lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for every installation. Prior to blaming these people for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid purchasing the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program as well as new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Cleano.exe miner from my PC?
The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software
Getting rid of such a virus requires the use of specific software. Effective antivirus must have high efficiency at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage even on weak systems. Additionally, it is recommended to have on-run protection in your security solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. 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 goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb option that fits each of the mentioned qualities.5
Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Cleano.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU capacity, it is needed 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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, just like the majority of non-crucial system components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the PC without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Cleano.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 Cleano.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Cleano.exe
Description: The Cleano.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Cleano.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.
