File.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
File.exe executable file belongs to a malevolent application that can accurately be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware form uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer pretty much unfunctional due to high CPU use.
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What is File.exe process?

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

As I have actually pointed out in the introduction, File.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the executive file can be different, however, the effects are usually the same. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware power of your PC to run this process. This virus doesn’t pay attention to the fact that you may want to make use of your PC for other tasks – it will always take over 80% of your CPU power.

File.exe Windows Process

File.exe – Very high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their tasks. In that situation, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as essential as CPU for system work, so File.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It sometimes can lead to sad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining term 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 strong PC is required. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ hardware 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 File.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, File.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, since all processor power is consumed by a malware. That malware does not care for your demands, all it focuses on is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from exceptionally sluggish efficiency. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.

    File.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameFile.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorPass_1234.exe, Setup__pass__1234.exe, Voldriver.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic File.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single unpleasant activity coin miners do to your system. File.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To execute all malicious operations effectively, it ruins the security 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 trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes are about to be reverted to the initial state in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your computer slow, running at peak power for a long period of time can trigger damage to your machine and raise electricity costs. PC elements are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Small and well-protected CPU cooling system is hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while spinning, for instance, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by File.exe virus can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Video cards are also prone to have very fast wearing when used for crypto mining. It is likely an undesirable case when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get File.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 sometimes works as a carrier for File.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that approximately 30% of all malware spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and File.exe is right among them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    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 unreliable site as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to make money. Therefore, there is a very big lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for each setup. Prior to criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus software as well as new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the File.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 specific program. Proper security tool must have high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization even on weak systems. On top of that, it is recommended to have proactive security in your security tool – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements for various factors. 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 mentioned qualities.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to boot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since File.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU 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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, just like the majority of non-crucial 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 File.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 File.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: File.exe

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