Desktop.exe executable file belongs to a malevolent program that can correctly be identified as a coin miner virus. That malware form utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer almost unusable due to high CPU use.
What is Desktop.exe process?
Desktop.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have specified in the introduction, Desktop.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the .exe file may be different, but the impacts are generally the same. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware power of your desktop to run this operation. This virus does not take note of the fact that you probably need to make use of your system for other activities – it will continuously consume over 80% of your processor power.
Desktop.exe – Very high CPU as well as GPU usage
Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as crucial as CPU for system work, so Desktop.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use it all. It sometimes can result in sad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining term means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a high-end PC is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, 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. Fraudsters who gain money via this coin miner use someones’ PCs instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Desktop.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, Desktop.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, since all processor power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your necessities, all it pays attention to is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely experience extremely slow efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.
Desktop.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Desktop.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Nottepad.exe, Deadcloud1_build.exe, Omegaengine.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Desktop.exe removal. |
“Visible” damage is not a single bad thing coin miners do to your system. Desktop.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To perform all malicious functions effectively, it ruins the protection mechanisms 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 number of new entries – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes are about to be reverted to the initial state in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your computer, performing at peak power for long times can trigger damage to your machine and increase electricity expenses. Hardware components are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.
Small and well-protected CPU cooling system is quite hard to broke. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while running, for example, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Desktop.exe malware can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Video cards are also tend to have fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an undesirable case when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Desktop.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 common malevolent programs through “major” malware. Adware frequently serves as a carrier for Desktop.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that about 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Desktop.exe is right one of them.4
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 untrustworthy site as a part of a program. People who spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to get paid. Therefore, there is a huge temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for every installation. Before criticizing these people for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software as well as new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Desktop.exe miner from my PC?
The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software
Getting rid of such a virus needs the use of special app. Proper anti-malware program must have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage also on weak systems. Furthermore, it is better to have proactive protection in your protection solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these functions for different factors. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb choice that fits each of the discussed features.5
Before the malware removal, it is important to reboot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Desktop.exe miner takes a lot of processor power, it is needed to stop 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.
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 programs, along with the majority of non-critical Windows components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the PC without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
Remove Desktop.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.
After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.
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.
Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.
Remove Desktop.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Desktop.exe
Description: The Desktop.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Desktop.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
User Review
( votes)References
- Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
- Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
- Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
- Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
