Go.exe executable file is related to a harmful application that can accurately be defined as a coin miner trojan. That malware type uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer roughly nonfunctional because of high CPU use.
What is Go.exe process?
Go.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
Go.exe – Very high CPU as well as GPU use
Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so Go.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It sometimes can result in bad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Go.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
First off, Go.exe malware makes your computer overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, because all CPU power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your demands, all it focuses on is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely struggle with extremely sluggish efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who works online.
Go.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Go.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Unohostclr.exe, Jg6_6asg.exe, Menu.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Go.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a single unpleasant thing coin miners perform to your system. Go.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malevolent functions properly, it ruins the protection components 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 lot of new entries – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your computer to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes shall be reverted to the original in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your computer, running at peak power for a long period of time may trigger damage to your machine as well as raise power expenses. PC elements are designed to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.
Little and well-protected CPU cooling system is not very easy to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if affected while working, for example, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Go.exe virus can easily lead to GPU failure3. Graphic cards are also prone to have increased wearing when used for crypto mining. It is likely an unwanted case when the performance of your GPU decreases on 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Go.exe coin miner virus?
Coin miners are spread through different ways, but their main sources are malicious banners and programs from dubious sources
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
An additional way you could get this thing on your computer is by downloading it from the unreliable site as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to get paid. For this reason, there is a huge temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for every setup. Prior to blaming these guys for hacking and malware distribution, 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 bigger figure for antivirus software as well as new parts for your PC.
How to remove the Go.exe miner from my PC?
The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software
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.
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.
When your PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party programs, just like the majority of non-critical operating system components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the PC without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
References
- Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
Leave a Comment