Gdg2.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Gdg2.exe process is related to a harmful application that can properly be defined as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system roughly unusable as a result of high CPU use.
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What is Gdg2.exe process?

Gdg2.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have actually mentioned earlier, Gdg2.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file can be diverse, however, the impacts are usually the same. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware power of your personal computer to perform this procedure. This virus does not take note of the fact that you may need to make use of your computer for other activities – it will consistently take over 80% of your CPU power.

Gdg2.exe Windows Process

Gdg2.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as essential as CPU for system work, so Gdg2.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It sometimes may cause sad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining term means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very strong computer is required. Exactly, the graphic card 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 systems are not usable for “general” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who gain money 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

  • 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 Gdg2.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, Gdg2.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, as all CPU power is consumed by a malware. That malware does not care for your needs, all it focuses on is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely struggle with incredibly sluggish efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any sort of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person who works online.

    Gdg2.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameGdg2.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorXservicegpu.exe, Kthmimu.exe, Serviceks.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Gdg2.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary negative activity coin miners do to your computer. Gdg2.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To complete all malevolent operations correctly, it ruins the security mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to avoid recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a number of new entries – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be thrown back to the original in the process of PC recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your computer slow, performing at peak power for long times can trigger damage to your machine and raise electricity costs. PC components are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Little and covered processor fan is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if affected while running, for instance, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Gdg2.exe virus can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have fast wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely a bad case when the performance of your GPU plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Gdg2.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 through “severe” viruses. Adware often acts as a carrier for Gdg2.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that about 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Gdg2.exe is just one of 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 unreliable web page as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to get paid. Therefore, there is a huge lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for each installation. Prior to blaming these people for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid purchasing 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 Gdg2.exe miner from my PC?

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

    Removing such a virus demands using specific app. Appropriate antivirus must have high efficiency at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak PCs. In addition, it is recommended to have on-run protection in your protection tool – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements for different factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal choice that fits each of the discussed features.5

    Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Gdg2.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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, just like the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Gdg2.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 Gdg2.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Gdg2.exe

    Description: The Gdg2.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Gdg2.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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