Crack only.exe Virus (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Crack only.exe executable file belongs to a malicious program that can properly be identified as a coin miner virus. That malware type uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system roughly unusable as a result of high CPU use.

What is Crack only.exe process?

Crack only.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
Crack only.exe Windows Process

Crack only.exe – Really high CPU as well as GPU usage

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their operations. In that situation, you will struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so Crack only.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It often can lead to unhappy effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

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 Crack only.exe miner?

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

    First, Crack only.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, because all CPU power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your needs, all it pays attention to is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely struggle with exceptionally sluggish performance. Pages can open for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person that does a job online.

    Crack only.exe Technical Summary.

    File Name Crack only.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Rcu64.virus/, Msetup.exe, Micro.exe
    Removal Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Crack only.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single negative activity coin miners do to your system. Crack only.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To carry out all malicious functions correctly, it wrecks the security mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to avoid detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new notes – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be thrown back to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, running at peak level for long times can trigger damage to your device as well as raise electricity expenses. Hardware 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 well-protected CPU cooling system is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while running, for instance, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Crack only.exe malware can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. GPUs are also tend to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an unwanted 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 Crack only.exe coin miner virus?

    Coin miners are spread through different ways, but their main sources are malicious banners and programs from dubious sources
    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    An additional way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the dubious web page as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to get paid. Thus, there is a very big temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for every installation. Before criticizing these guys for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in this manner? 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 Crack only.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 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.

    References

    1. Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
    2. 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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