Manifest.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Manifest.exe process comes from a malicious program that can properly be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware type uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer almost unfunctional because of high CPU use.
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What is Manifest.exe process?

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

As I have actually mentioned in the previous paragraph, Manifest.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the .exe file may be different, however, the impacts are usually the identical. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware capacity of your desktop to run this operation. This malware doesn’t take note of the fact that you may need to use your machine for other tasks – it will always take over 80% of your CPU power.

Manifest.exe Windows Process

Manifest.exe – Really high CPU as well as GPU use

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as crucial as processor for system work, so Manifest.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It often can cause unhappy effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very strong computer is required. Exactly, the video card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of video cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ PCs 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 Manifest.exe miner?

    Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system

    Initially, Manifest.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, since all processor power is consumed by a malware. 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 browser is open, you will likely struggle with extremely slow efficiency. Pages can open for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that works online.

    Manifest.exe Technical Summary.

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

    “Visible” harm is not a single bad thing coin miners perform to your personal computer. Manifest.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your operating system. To execute all malicious functions properly, it wrecks the protection mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid 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 adjustments shall be reverted to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides slowing down your computer, running at peak level for long times may trigger damage to your machine and increase power costs. PC components are designed to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Small and well-protected CPU fan is quite hard to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while running, for instance, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Manifest.exe can easily lead to graphic card failure3. GPUs are also prone to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an undesirable case when the performance of your GPU plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Manifest.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” viruses. Adware often serves as a carrier for Manifest.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that approximately 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Manifest.exe is just with 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 PC is by downloading it from the dubious website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to earn money. Therefore, there is a very big temptation to include malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for every installation. Prior to criticizing these guys for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus software and new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Manifest.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 involves using specific app. Proper security tool must have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage also on weak computers. On top of that, it is recommended to have proactive security in your security tool – to stop the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for different factors. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits all of the discussed qualities.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to boot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Manifest.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 apps, just like the majority of non-crucial system components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Manifest.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 Manifest.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Manifest.exe

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