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
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
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
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
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.
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