Gsvc.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Gsvc.exe executable file is related to a harmful application that can properly be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware type utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system roughly nonfunctional because of high CPU usage.
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What is Gsvc.exe process?

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

As I have actually mentioned in the introduction, Gsvc.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file can be different, but the consequences are almost always the same. Considering that coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware capacity of your personal computer to conduct this process. This malware does not take note of the fact that you probably need to use your device for other activities – it will always consume over 80% of your processor power.

Gsvc.exe Windows Process

Gsvc.exe – Very high CPU and GPU use

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their operations. In that situation, you will likely struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as critical as CPU for system work, so Gsvc.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes can result in bad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining is a term that means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful machine is needed. Exactly, the video card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of GPUs to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “general” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who make profit 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

  • 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
  • How dangerous is the Gsvc.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, Gsvc.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, as all processor power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your needs, all it focuses on is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely suffer from exceptionally slow performance. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that does a job online.

    Gsvc.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameGsvc.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 Gsvc.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary negative activity coin miners perform to your computer. Gsvc.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your OS. To execute all malicious functions successfully, it ruins the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are added by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be thrown back to the initial state in the process of PC recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak power for long times can trigger damage to your machine as well as raise power bills. Hardware elements are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Tiny and covered processor cooling system is hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if touched while working, for instance, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Gsvc.exe virus can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have very fast wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is likely an undesirable case when the performance of your GPU plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Gsvc.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 common malevolent programs through “serious” viruses. Adware frequently serves as a carrier for Gsvc.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that about 30% of all viruses spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and Gsvc.exe is just among 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 dubious site as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. Therefore, there is a very big lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for each setup. Before blaming these people for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid purchasing the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus program and new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Gsvc.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 the use of special program. Proper antivirus should have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak computers. Additionally, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your protection solution – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions for different reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal option that fits all of the mentioned features.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to boot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Gsvc.exe miner takes a lot of CPU 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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, along with the majority of non-critical system components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the PC without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Gsvc.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 Gsvc.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Gsvc.exe

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