Evteng.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Evteng.exe is a legitimate executable file that belongs to Intel ProSet/Wireless WiFi Software. This process enables Intel-made Wi-Fi chips to provide seamless usage, which is common in high-end laptops and some PC builds. However, coin miner malware sometimes utilizes this process by adopting its name.

By default, evteng.exe does not consume a significant share of your CPU power. However, if it is a malicious copy, you will likely observe a CPU load of 80% or more caused solely by this process. Additionally, the directory of the executable file differs. Most users will not suspect much when they see a process that appears legitimate in the Task Manager.

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What is Evteng.exe process?

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

As mentioned earlier, Evteng.exe has the potential to be a coin miner trojan. The clearest indication of its malicious nature is the high CPU load, typically exceeding 80%. A legitimate version of this process does not require such a significant amount of CPU power, even on weak systems.

Evteng.exe Windows Process

Evteng.exe – Very high CPU/GPU use

In addition to CPU usage, you can determine if the process is malicious by checking its .exe file location. The genuine instance of evteng.exe can be found at C:\Program Files\Intel\WiFi or C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Wireless. To verify the file location of the process, right-click on it in the Task Manager and select the “Open file location” button in the dialog box. If the file is located in any other directory than the one mentioned, it indicates malicious origins.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a high-end computer is required. Exactly, the video card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Fraudsters who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ hardware instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.1

List of the typical coin miner symptoms

  • Extremely bad performance
  • CPU/GPU cooler fan creates a lot of noise
  • High temperature of the device (for laptops)
  • 80-90% consumption of CPU/GPU resources by an unknown process
  • Microsoft Defender is not working
  • How dangerous is the Evteng.exe miner?

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

    First, Evteng.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, because all CPU power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your needs, all it pays attention to is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from extremely sluggish efficiency. Pages will open for years, any type of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who works online.

    Evteng.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameEvteng.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorRegsrvc.exe, Networkcap.exe, Sysinfocap.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Evteng.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a single bad activity coin miners do to your system. Evteng.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To carry out all malicious functions properly, it wrecks the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a number of new notes – they are added by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be thrown back to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your computer slow, performing at peak power for a long period of time can trigger damage to your device as well as raise power bills. PC elements are designed to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.

    Little and covered CPU cooling system is hard to broke. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if touched while spinning, for example, by the user much earlier before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Evteng.exe virus can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure2. Video cards are also prone to have very fast wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely a bad situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Evteng.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 malicious programs among “serious” malware. Adware often functions as a carrier for Evteng.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that about 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Evteng.exe is just among them.

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    An additional way you could get this item on your computer is by downloading it from the untrustworthy site as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to get paid. Therefore, there is a huge temptation to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for every setup. Prior to criticizing these guys for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright 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 greater sum for antivirus software as well as new parts for your PC.

    How to remove the Evteng.exe miner from my PC?

    The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software

    Eliminating such a virus demands using special software. Appropriate security tool must have high efficiency at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization also on weak PCs. Additionally, it is recommended to have on-run protection in your protection solution – to stop the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these features for different factors. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits all of the specified characteristics.3

    Before the virus removal, it is important to boot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Evteng.exe miner consumes a lot of processor capacity, it is required 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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, just like the majority of non-critical system components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Evteng.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 Evteng.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Evteng.exe

    Description: Evteng.exe is a file that is part of Intel ProSet/Wireless WiFi Software. Normally, it is a harmless file that does not generate significant CPU load. However, certain malware, such as coin miner trojans, may adopt the same file name to imitate it in the Task Manager. In such cases, it can result in high CPU usage, and the file location of the executable will differ from the usual one.

    Operating System: Windows

    Application Category: Trojan

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    References

    1. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
    2. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
    3. 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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