Cthkctrl.exe executable file is related to a harmful program that can accurately be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware form uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system roughly nonfunctional due to high CPU usage.
What is Cthkctrl.exe process?
Cthkctrl.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
Cthkctrl.exe – Very high CPU and GPU usage
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Cthkctrl.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use all of it. It sometimes may result in unhappy consequences.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Cthkctrl.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
Initially, Cthkctrl.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, since all CPU power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your needs, all it pays attention to is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely struggle with extremely slow efficiency. Pages can open for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that works online.
Cthkctrl.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Cthkctrl.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Scantopcactivationapp.exe, Cthelper.exe, Ccleaner64.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Cthkctrl.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a single bad activity coin miners perform to your PC. Cthkctrl.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To execute all malicious operations successfully, it wrecks the protection features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new notes – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your computer to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be gone back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your PC, performing at peak level for a long period of time can trigger damage to your machine as well as increase power bills. Hardware components are created to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.
Tiny and covered processor cooling system is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while working, for example, by the user much earlier before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Cthkctrl.exe malware can easily lead to GPU failure3. GPUs are also tend to have increased wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an unwanted situation when the performance of your graphic card plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Cthkctrl.exe coin miner virus?
Coin miners are spread through different ways, but their main sources are malicious banners and programs from dubious sources
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
An additional way you could get this thing on your computer is by downloading it from the unreliable site as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not need 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 get a coin for every installation. Prior to criticizing these guys for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid buying the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software as well as new parts for your desktop.
How to remove the Cthkctrl.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.
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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, along with the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
References
- Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
Leave a Comment