Gpunv.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey

Gpunv.exe executable file comes from a harmful program that can accurately be defined as a coin miner trojan. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system roughly unusable as a result of high CPU utilization.

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What is Gpunv.exe process?

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

As I have actually pointed out in the previous paragraph, Gpunv.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the .exe file may be different, but the effects are usually the identical. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware power of your desktop to run this procedure. This virus does not take note of the fact that you may need to use your device for other activities – it will always take over 80% of your processor power.

Gpunv.exe Windows Process

Gpunv.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as critical as CPU for system work, so Gpunv.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use it all. It often may cause unhappy effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining is a term that means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very strong desktop is required. Exactly, the video card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Fraudsters who gain money via this coin miner use someones’ PCs instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.

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
  • |

  • 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
  • |

  • 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 Gpunv.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, Gpunv.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, since all processor power is used 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 web browser is open, you will likely struggle with incredibly sluggish performance. Pages can open for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person that works online.

    Gpunv.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameGpunv.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorSubtitles.exe, Unpackcheck.exe, Updchrome.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Gpunv.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single negative thing coin miners perform to your PC. Gpunv.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To perform all malicious operations correctly, it ruins the protection mechanisms 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 entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be thrown back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak level for long times may cause damage to your machine and raise power expenses. Hardware components are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Small and well-protected processor fan is hard to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while working, for instance, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Gpunv.exe virus can easily lead to graphic card failure2. Video cards are also tend to have fast wearing when used for crypto mining. It is likely an unwanted situation when the performance of your graphic card decreases on 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Gpunv.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 the most widespread malicious programs through “severe” malware. Adware sometimes serves as a carrier for Gpunv.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that around 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Gpunv.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 PC is by downloading it from the suspicious website as a part of a program. People that spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to get paid. For this reason, there is a huge lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for every setup. Prior to blaming these guys for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program and new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Gpunv.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 requires using special software. Proper security tool should have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization even on weak computers. In addition, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your protection tool – to halt the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions for various reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal choice that fits all of the specified characteristics.3

    Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Gpunv.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 apps, along with the majority of non-critical system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Gpunv.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 for Gpunv.exe

    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 Gpunv.exe process

    Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.

    Remove Gpunv.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Gpunv.exe

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