Graphicsaccelerator.exe Virus (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Graphicsaccelerator.exe executable file is related to a malevolent program that can correctly be recognized as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware type utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer almost nonfunctional due to high CPU use.

What is Graphicsaccelerator.exe process?

Graphicsaccelerator.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
Graphicsaccelerator.exe Windows Process

Graphicsaccelerator.exe – Extremely high CPU and GPU use

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often utilized on 100%. It is not as important as processor for system work, so Graphicsaccelerator.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use it all. It often may result in unhappy effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

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 Graphicsaccelerator.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, Graphicsaccelerator.exe malware makes your system 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 wants, all it focuses on is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely experience incredibly sluggish efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person who works online.

    Graphicsaccelerator.exe Technical Summary.

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

    “Visible” harm is not a single unpleasant activity coin miners perform to your PC. Graphicsaccelerator.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To execute all malicious functions successfully, it wrecks the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new notes – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your system 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 decreasing your PC’s performance, running at peak power for a long period of time can cause damage to your machine and increase power bills. Hardware components are designed to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Little and covered processor cooling system is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if touched while running, for example, by the user much earlier before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Graphicsaccelerator.exe virus can easily lead to GPU failure3. GPUs are also prone to have increased wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an unwanted case when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Graphicsaccelerator.exe coin miner virus?

    Coin miners are spread through different ways, but their main sources are malicious banners and programs from dubious sources
    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    One more way you could get this thing on your computer is by downloading it from the dubious website as a part of a program. People that spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. Therefore, there is a very big temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for each installation. Before blaming these people for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is much cheaper 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 Graphicsaccelerator.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.

    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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, just like the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    References

    1. Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
    2. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.

    Spanish Turkish

    About the author

    Robert Bailey

    Security engineer focused on malware behavior, removal workflows, and Windows hardening. Robert reviews threat articles for practical accuracy, checking detection names, symptoms, and cleanup steps before publication.

    Leave a Comment