Icacls.exe utility is a deprecated command-line editor of directory and file security descriptors in Windows NT. But more often Icacls process is related to a malevolent application that can properly be defined as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware type uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer roughly nonfunctional as a result of high CPU use.
What is Icacls.exe process?
Icacls.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
Icacls.exe – Extremely high CPU as well as GPU usage
Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will likely struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as crucial as the processor for system work, so Icacls.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It often may result in bad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Icacls.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
Firstly, Icacls.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, since all CPU power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, 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 extremely slow performance. Pages will open for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person that does a job online.
Icacls.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Icacls.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Wsappx.exe, Displayhelp.exe, Pup.optional |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Icacls.exe removal. |
“Visible” damage is not a solitary bad activity coin miners perform to your computer. Icacls.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malicious operations correctly, it wrecks the security mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be thrown back to the original in the process of system recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides decreasing your system’s performance, running at peak level for a long period of time may cause damage to your machine as well as raise power expenses. PC components are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Little and covered processor fan is hard to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broken if touched while running, for instance, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Icacls.exe malware can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Graphic cards are also prone to have increased wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely an unwanted case when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Icacls.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
Another way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the suspicious site as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. Hence, there is a very big temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for every installation. Before blaming these individuals for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid paying for 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 as well as new parts for your desktop.
How to remove the Icacls.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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, along with the majority of non-crucial operating system components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high CPU 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 crypto mining.
Leave a Comment