Dataexchangehost.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Dataexchangehost.exe executable file belongs to a malevolent application that can properly be defined as a coin miner trojan. That malware form utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer roughly unfunctional because of high CPU utilization.
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What is Dataexchangehost.exe process?

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

As I have mentioned in the previous paragraph, Dataexchangehost.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file can be different, but the consequences are usually the same. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware capacity of your personal computer to conduct this operation. This malware doesn’t care about the fact that you may want to use your machine for other tasks – it will consistently use over 80% of your processor power.

Dataexchangehost.exe Windows Process

Dataexchangehost.exe – Very high CPU and GPU usage

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often utilized on 100%. It is not as important as processor for system work, so Dataexchangehost.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use all of it. It sometimes can result in bad consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very strong PC is required. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of graphic cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks 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 Dataexchangehost.exe miner?

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

    Firstly, Dataexchangehost.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, since all CPU power is consumed by a malware. That malware does not care for your demands, all it pays attention to is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely suffer from incredibly slow efficiency. Pages can open for years, any type of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person that works online.

    Dataexchangehost.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameDataexchangehost.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorAccsvc.exe, Tidings.exe, Music.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Dataexchangehost.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary unpleasant thing coin miners perform to your PC. Dataexchangehost.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To conduct all malicious operations successfully, it wrecks the security mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new entries – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these changes are about to be gone back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your computer slow, performing at peak power for long times may trigger damage to your machine as well as raise power expenses. Hardware elements are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Compact and covered CPU cooling system is not very easy to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if affected while spinning, for example, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Dataexchangehost.exe miner can easily lead to graphic card failure3. GPUs are also prone to have increased wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an unwanted case when the performance of your GPU decreases on 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Dataexchangehost.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 prevalent malevolent programs among “major” viruses. Adware sometimes acts as a carrier for Dataexchangehost.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Dataexchangehost.exe is just with them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    Another way you could get this item on your computer is by downloading it from the untrustworthy website as a part of a program. People who spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to earn money. For this reason, there is a very big temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for every setup. Prior to criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus software as well as new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Dataexchangehost.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 the use of special tool. Appropriate anti-malware program must have high efficiency at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak PCs. In addition, it is better to have proactive security in your protection solution – to halt the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these functions for different reasons. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal choice that fits each of the specified qualities.5

    Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Dataexchangehost.exe miner takes a lot of CPU power, it is needed 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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party programs, just like 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 processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Dataexchangehost.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 Dataexchangehost.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Dataexchangehost.exe

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