Filam.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Filam.exe executable file is related to a malicious program that can accurately be defined as a coin miner trojan. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system roughly unfunctional due to high CPU utilization.
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What is Filam.exe process?

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

As I have actually specified previously, Filam.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the .exe file can be different, but the impacts are generally the same. Since coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware power of your desktop to perform this procedure. This virus does not pay attention to the fact that you may need to use your desktop for other activities – it will constantly consume over 80% of your processor power.

Filam.exe Windows Process

Filam.exe – Extremely high CPU as well as GPU usage

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as important as processor for system work, so Filam.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use all of it. It sometimes may cause unhappy effects.

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 action takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful desktop is required. Exactly, the GPU is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of dozens of GPUs to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Fraudsters who gain money 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

  • Your device overheats (system unit/laptop body is very hot)
  • You are not able to open your apps or they are opening for ages
  • Unknown process is running in the background and consumes your PC resources
  • Windows Defender does not respond
  • How dangerous is the Filam.exe miner?

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

    First, Filam.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, as all CPU power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your demands, all it pays attention to is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely experience incredibly slow efficiency. Pages will open for years, any type of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person who works online.

    Filam.exe Technical Summary.

    File Name Filam.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Protecte.exe, Protecta.exe, Protectn.exe
    Removal Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Filam.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single bad thing coin miners perform to your computer. Filam.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malevolent operations correctly, 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 load of new notes – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes are about to be thrown back to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides slowing down your computer, running at peak power for long times may cause damage to your device and raise electricity costs. PC elements are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Small and covered CPU cooling system is not very easy to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while spinning, for example, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Filam.exe malware can easily lead to GPU failure3. Video cards are also prone to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely a bad case when the performance of your graphic card plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Filam.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 common malicious programs among “severe” malware. Adware sometimes functions as a carrier for Filam.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all malware spread through the malicious banners are coin miners – and Filam.exe is right among them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    An additional way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the dubious web page as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to get paid. Therefore, there is a huge lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for every setup. Prior to blaming these people for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Filam.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 making use of special program. Proper anti-malware program must have high performance at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage also on weak computers. Furthermore, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your security solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions 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 all of the discussed characteristics.5

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

    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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, just like the majority of non-critical Windows components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Filam.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 Filam.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Filam.exe

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