Etc.exe executable file belongs to a malicious program that can properly be defined as a coin miner virus. That malware type utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer almost unusable as a result of high CPU use.
What is Etc.exe process?
Etc.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
Etc.exe – Extremely high CPU and GPU usage
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as critical as processor for system work, so Etc.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It often may cause bad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Etc.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
First, Etc.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, because all processor power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your wants, all it pays attention to is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely struggle with incredibly sluggish performance. Pages will open up for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who works online.
Etc.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Etc.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Advancedwindowsmanager.exe, Winrar.exe, Micros.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Etc.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a single negative activity coin miners do to your system. Etc.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your operating system. To execute all malevolent functions correctly, it wrecks the protection features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent detection. 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 computer to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be thrown back to the original in the process of system recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides decreasing your computer’s performance, performing at peak level for long times can trigger damage to your device as well as increase power expenses. PC elements are designed to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.
Small and covered processor fan is hard to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if touched while working, for instance, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Etc.exe can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have very fast wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is likely an undesirable situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Etc.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
One more way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the untrustworthy site as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of favored programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to get paid. Hence, there is a huge temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for every installation. Prior to criticizing these guys for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program and new parts for your PC.
How to remove the Etc.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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, along with the majority of non-critical system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you 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.
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