Etece.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Etece.exe executable file belongs to a malevolent program that can correctly be defined as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer roughly unusable due to high CPU usage.
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What is Etece.exe process?

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

As I have actually specified before, Etece.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file can be different, but the impacts are almost always the same. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware power of your personal computer to perform this process. This malware doesn’t pay attention to the fact that you may need to make use of your device for other activities – it will consistently take over 80% of your CPU power.

Etece.exe Windows Process

Etece.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their operations. In that situation, you will struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so Etece.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes may result in bad results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful computer is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks 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

  • 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 Etece.exe miner?

    Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system

    First, Etece.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, as all processor power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your wants, 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 suffer from incredibly slow efficiency. Pages can open for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that does a job online.

    Etece.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameEtece.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorSxtrace.exe, Asdasd.exe, Desktop.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Etece.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary bad thing coin miners perform to your system. Etece.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malevolent operations correctly, it ruins the security components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be gone back to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, running at peak power for a long period of time may trigger damage to your device as well as raise electricity costs. Hardware components are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Little and covered CPU fan is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if touched while running, for example, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Etece.exe miner can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have increased wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely an unwanted situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Etece.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 one of the most prevalent malevolent programs through “serious” viruses. Adware sometimes works as a carrier for Etece.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that about 30% of all malware spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Etece.exe is just among them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    An additional way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the dubious web page as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. Hence, there is a very big temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for every installation. Prior to blaming these people for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid purchasing the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program as well as new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Etece.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 demands using special software. Proper anti-malware program must have high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak computers. In addition, it is better to have proactive security in your protection solution – to stop the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for various factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits each of the discussed characteristics.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Etece.exe miner consumes a lot of processor capacity, 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.

    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 software, just like the majority of non-critical Windows components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the PC without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Etece.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.

    GridinSoft Anti-Malware free trial

    After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.

    Scanning in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

    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.

    GridinSoft Anti-Malware after the scan process

    Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.

    Remove Etece.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Etece.exe

    Description: The Etece.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Etece.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

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    References

    1. Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
    2. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
    3. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
    4. Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
    5. Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

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    About the author

    Robert Bailey

    I'm Robert Bailey, a passionate Security Engineer with a deep fascination for all things related to malware, reverse engineering, and white hat ethical hacking.

    As a white hat hacker, I firmly believe in the power of ethical hacking to bolster security measures. By identifying vulnerabilities and providing solutions, I contribute to the proactive defense of digital infrastructures.

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