License.exe process belongs to a malicious application that can properly be recognized as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer almost unfunctional due to high CPU utilization.
What is License.exe process?
License.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have actually pointed out earlier, License.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file can be different, but the effects are usually the identical. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware power of your personal computer to perform this procedure. This malware does not pay attention to the fact that you may need to use your device for other activities – it will always take over 80% of your CPU power.
License.exe – Really high CPU/GPU usage
Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will likely struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so License.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use all of it. It sometimes may lead to sad consequences.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Crypto mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a high-end PC is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ hardware instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the License.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
Firstly, License.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, since all CPU power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, all it focuses on is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely struggle with exceptionally sluggish efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who works online.
License.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | License.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Xservicegpu.exe, Kthmimu.exe, Serviceks.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic License.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a single bad activity coin miners perform to your computer. License.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To carry out all malevolent operations effectively, it ruins the protection 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 load of new entries – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these changes are about to be thrown back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides making your computer slow, performing at peak power for long times can trigger damage to your machine as well as raise power bills. PC elements are designed to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.
Little and covered CPU cooling system is hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if affected while spinning, for example, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by License.exe miner can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Video cards are also tend to have very fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an unwanted situation when the performance of your GPU decreases on 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get License.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 malicious programs through “major” viruses. Adware sometimes serves as a carrier for License.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that approximately 30% of all malware spread through the malicious banners are coin miners – and License.exe is just with them.4
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
Another way you could get this thing on your computer is by downloading it from the untrustworthy web page as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to get paid. Hence, there is a huge temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for each setup. Before criticizing these guys for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus software as well as new parts for your desktop.
How to remove the License.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 using special software. Effective antivirus must have high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak PCs. On top of that, it is better to have proactive protection in your security tool – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for various reasons. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb choice that fits all of the specified qualities.5
Before the virus removal, it is important to boot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since License.exe miner takes a lot of processor capacity, it is required to halt 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.
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, just like the majority of non-critical Windows components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove License.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.
After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.
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.
Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.
Remove License.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: License.exe
Description: The License.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This License.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
User Review
( votes)References
- Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
- Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
- Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
- Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
