Dataexchangehost.exe Virus (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

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.

What is Dataexchangehost.exe process?

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

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 Name Dataexchangehost.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Accsvc.exe, Tidings.exe, Music.exe
    Removal Download 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
    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

    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.

    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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