Cpu32.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Cpu32.exe executable file comes from a malevolent program that can accurately be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware type utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system pretty much unfunctional as a result of high CPU utilization.
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What is Cpu32.exe process?

Cpu32.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have pointed out earlier, Cpu32.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the .exe file may be different, but the impacts are almost always the identical. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware capacity of your personal computer to conduct this operation. This virus does not take note of the fact that you probably want to use your desktop for other tasks – it will consistently take over 80% of your CPU power.

Cpu32.exe Windows Process

Cpu32.exe – Extremely high CPU as well as GPU use

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally make use of GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Cpu32.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It often can cause bad consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a strong machine is required. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of GPUs to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Crooks who gain money 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

  • 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 Cpu32.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, Cpu32.exe malware makes your computer overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, since all processor power is used 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 sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who does a job online.

    Cpu32.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameCpu32.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorXservicegpu.exe, Kthmimu.exe, Serviceks.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Cpu32.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary unpleasant activity coin miners do to your computer. Cpu32.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To execute all malevolent operations effectively, it ruins the protection components 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 entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your system 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 making your PC slow, performing at peak level for long times can trigger damage to your machine and raise electricity expenses. PC components are created to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.

    Small and covered CPU fan is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while working, for instance, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Cpu32.exe virus can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. GPUs are also tend to have fast wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely an undesirable case when the performance of your graphic card decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Cpu32.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 prevalent malicious programs among “serious” malware. Adware often acts as a carrier for Cpu32.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Cpu32.exe is right among them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    An additional way you could get this item on your computer is by downloading it from the suspicious site as a part of a program. People who spread hacked variants of favored programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to get paid. Therefore, there is a very big temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for every installation. Before criticizing these people for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus software as well as new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Cpu32.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 demands making use of specific app. Effective security tool should have high performance at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage also on weak systems. Additionally, it is better to have on-run protection in your protection tool – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for different factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb choice that fits all of the specified qualities.5

    Before the malware removal, it is important to boot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Cpu32.exe miner takes a lot of CPU capacity, it is required 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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, just like the majority of non-critical system components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the PC without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Cpu32.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 Cpu32.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Cpu32.exe

    Description: The Cpu32.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Cpu32.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. Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
    5. 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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