Maxim.exe executable file is related to a harmful application that can correctly be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware type uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system almost nonfunctional because of high CPU use.
What is Maxim.exe process?
Maxim.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have actually specified earlier, Maxim.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file can be diverse, but the consequences are usually the identical. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware capacity of your PC to perform this process. This malware does not take note of the fact that you probably need to make use of your computer for other activities – it will constantly take over 80% of your CPU power.
Maxim.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU usage
Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will likely struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as critical as processor for system work, so Maxim.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use all of it. It sometimes may lead to bad results.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Crypto mining term means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful computer is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of video cards to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “classic” 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
How dangerous is the Maxim.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
Firstly, Maxim.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, because all processor power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, 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 sluggish performance. Pages can open for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.
Maxim.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Maxim.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Mobile.exe, Markets.exe, Mccshieldose.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Maxim.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary bad thing coin miners perform to your system. Maxim.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To perform all malicious functions properly, it wrecks the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a load of new entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your computer to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes shall be thrown back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides decreasing your computer’s performance, running at peak power for a long period of time may trigger damage to your machine as well as increase power bills. Hardware elements are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Tiny and covered CPU cooling system is not very easy to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if affected while running, for example, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Maxim.exe virus can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. GPUs are also tend to have increased wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an undesirable situation when the performance of your GPU decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Maxim.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 “serious” malware. Adware often functions as a carrier for Maxim.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that around 30% of all malware spread through the malicious banners are coin miners – and Maxim.exe is just with them.4
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 dubious web page as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to get paid. Hence, there is a very big lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for each setup. Before blaming these guys for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Maxim.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 requires using special tool. Proper anti-malware program must have high efficiency at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization also on weak systems. Additionally, it is better to have proactive protection in your security solution – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these features for various reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits all of the mentioned qualities.5
Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Maxim.exe miner takes a lot of processor 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.
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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, along with the majority of non-crucial operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the PC without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Maxim.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 Maxim.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Maxim.exe
Description: The Maxim.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Maxim.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.
