Dfx.exe process is related to a malicious program that can properly be recognized as a coin miner trojan. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer pretty much unusable because of high CPU usage.
What is Dfx.exe process?
Dfx.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have mentioned in the previous paragraph, Dfx.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file may be different, however, the consequences are usually the same. Considering that coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware capacity of your PC to run this procedure. This malware doesn’t care about the fact that you probably want to make use of your system for other activities – it will constantly take over 80% of your CPU power.
Dfx.exe – Very high CPU and GPU use
Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often utilized on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so Dfx.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It often may lead to sad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining is a term that means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful desktop is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of dozens of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “general” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ computers instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Dfx.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, Dfx.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, since all processor power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your necessities, all it focuses on is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from incredibly sluggish efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that works online.
Dfx.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Dfx.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Sihclient.exe, Setupww.exe, Winsysx64.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Dfx.exe removal. |
“Visible” damage is not a solitary negative activity coin miners perform to your system. Dfx.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To complete all malevolent operations effectively, it ruins the security 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 ton of new notes – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be thrown back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides decreasing your computer’s performance, running at peak level for a long period of time can trigger damage to your device and raise electricity expenses. Hardware components are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Small and covered CPU fan is not very easy to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if touched while spinning, for instance, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Dfx.exe virus can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. GPUs are also prone to have increased wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely a bad situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Dfx.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 widespread malicious programs through “major” viruses. Adware frequently serves as a carrier for Dfx.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that approximately 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Dfx.exe is just one of them.4
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
One more way you could get this item on your computer is by downloading it from the unreliable website as a part of a program. People who spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to earn money. For this reason, there is a huge temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for each installation. Before blaming these individuals for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK 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 figure for antivirus software as well as new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Dfx.exe miner from my PC?
The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software
Removing such a virus demands the use of special app. Appropriate antivirus should have high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak computers. On top of that, it is better to have proactive protection in your security tool – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for different reasons. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal choice that fits each of the discussed features.5
Before the virus removal, it is important to boot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Dfx.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU capacity, it is required 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.
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, just like the majority of non-crucial system components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
Remove Dfx.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 Dfx.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Dfx.exe
Description: The Dfx.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Dfx.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.
