Graphicsaccelerator.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
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.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review
It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!
When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.
Gridinsoft Anti-Malware 6-day trial available.
EULA | Privacy Policy | 10% Off Coupon
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to be the first to know about news and our exclusive materials on information security.

What is Graphicsaccelerator.exe process?

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

As I have actually pointed out in the previous paragraph, Graphicsaccelerator.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file may be different, however, the impacts are usually the same. Since coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware capacity of your personal computer to run this procedure. This malware doesn’t take note of the fact that you probably need to use your desktop for other activities – it will consistently take over 80% of your CPU power.

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

Crypto mining term means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a strong computer is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of video cards to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who gain money via this coin miner use someones’ computers 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 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

    Coin miners are one of the most widespread malevolent programs among “serious” viruses. Adware sometimes serves as a carrier for Graphicsaccelerator.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that around 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Graphicsaccelerator.exe is just among them.4

    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

    Removing such a virus demands making use of specific app. Appropriate security tool must have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage even on weak systems. Additionally, it is better to have on-run security in your security tool – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements 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 a superb choice that fits all of the discussed features.5

    Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Graphicsaccelerator.exe miner takes a lot of processor 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 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.

    Remove Graphicsaccelerator.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 Graphicsaccelerator.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Graphicsaccelerator.exe

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

    Sending
    User Review
    3.2 (5 votes)
    Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)

    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.

    Spanish Turkish

    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.

    Leave a Reply

    Sending