Microsoftedge.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Microsoftedge.exe executable file is related to a harmful program that can correctly be identified as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware type uses your PC components 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 Microsoftedge.exe process?

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

As I have actually pointed out previously, Microsoftedge.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file may be diverse, but the consequences are generally the identical. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware power of your personal computer to perform this procedure. This virus does not take note of the fact that you may want to make use of your PC for other tasks – it will continuously consume over 80% of your processor power.

Microsoftedge.exe Windows Process

Microsoftedge.exe – Extremely high CPU and GPU usage

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as important as processor for system work, so Microsoftedge.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use it all. It sometimes can cause sad consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining is a term that means the action 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 high-end computer is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of video cards to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks 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

  • 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 Microsoftedge.exe miner?

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

    Firstly, Microsoftedge.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, since all CPU power is consumed by a malware. That malware does not care for your wants, all it pays attention to is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely experience exceptionally sluggish efficiency. Pages will open for years, any sort of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person who does a job online.

    Microsoftedge.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameMicrosoftedge.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorHelppane.exe, Battle.net, Upfc.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Microsoftedge.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a solitary negative thing coin miners do to your system. Microsoftedge.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To perform all malevolent functions correctly, it wrecks the security components 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 notes – 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 original in the process of PC recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your PC’s performance, performing at peak level for a long period of time can trigger damage to your device and raise power costs. PC elements are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Little and covered CPU cooling system is not very easy to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if touched while spinning, for instance, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Microsoftedge.exe virus can easily lead to GPU failure3. GPUs are also tend to have increased wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely a bad case when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Microsoftedge.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 among “severe” malware. Adware frequently functions as a carrier for Microsoftedge.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that around 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Microsoftedge.exe is just among them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    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 unreliable site as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to make money. Hence, there is a huge lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for each installation. Prior to criticizing these guys for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your PC.

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

    The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software

    Eliminating such a virus needs the use of special software. Proper anti-malware program must have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization even on weak systems. In addition, it is recommended to have proactive security in your security solution – to stop the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these features for various factors. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb choice that fits all of the mentioned characteristics.5

    Before the malware removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Microsoftedge.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU power, 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.

    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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, along with the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Microsoftedge.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 Microsoftedge.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Microsoftedge.exe

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