Img002.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Img002.exe executable file comes from a malicious program that can properly be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin. It makes your system almost unusable because of high CPU use.
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What is Img002.exe process?

Img002.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have pointed out earlier, Img002.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the .exe file can be different, however, the effects are generally identical. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware power of your PC to run this procedure. This virus does not take note of the fact that you probably want to use your machine for other tasks – it will always take over 80% of your processor power.

Img002.exe Windows Process

Img002.exe – Extremely high CPU as well as GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often utilized on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Img002.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use it all. It often can result in unhappy results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining is a term that means the action 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 high-end desktop is required. Exactly, the video card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of graphic cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “general” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who gain money via Img002.exe coin miner use someones’ hardware instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.1

List of the typical Img002.exe coin miner symptoms

  • 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
  • How dangerous is the Img002.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, Img002.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, because all CPU power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your necessities, all it pays attention to is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely suffer from extremely sluggish performance. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.

    Img002.exe Technical Summary.

    File Name Img002.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Shutdown.exe, Wscntfy.exe, Rozbehransom.exe
    Removal Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Img002.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a single unpleasant activity coin miners do to your computer. Img002.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To complete all malicious functions properly, it ruins the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are added by Img002.exe coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be gone back to the initial state in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak level for long times can trigger damage to your machine and raise electricity expenses. PC elements are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Little and well-protected CPU cooling system is hard to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while working, for example, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Img002.exe can easily lead to graphic card failure2. Graphic cards also tend to have increased wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely a bad case when {your GPU’s performance|the performance of your GPU plunges 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Img002.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 prevalent malevolent programs through “major” malware. Adware sometimes acts as a carrier for Img002.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that approximately 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Img002.exe is right with them.3

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    One more way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the unreliable site as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to make money. Thus, there is a very big lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for every setup. Before blaming these individuals for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Img002.exe miner from my PC?

    The best way to get rid of Img002.exe virus is to use anti-malware software

    Getting rid of such a virus requires using specific app. The proper anti-malware program should have the high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak PCs. In addition, it is recommended to have proactive security in your protection tool – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these functions for various factors. That’s why I ‘d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb option that fits all of the specified qualities.4

    Prior to the malware removal, it is important to boot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Img002.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU 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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party programs, just like the majority of non-critical operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of Img002.exe miner process.

    Remove Img002.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 trial license

    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 Img002.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Img002.exe

    Description: The Img002.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Img002.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. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
    2. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
    3. Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
    4. Our review on the GridinSoft Anti-Malware program.

    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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