Minstlink.exe executable file comes from a malevolent application that can properly be recognized as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer pretty much unfunctional as a result of high CPU use.
What is Minstlink.exe process?
Minstlink.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have actually pointed out in the previous paragraph, Minstlink.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the .exe file can be diverse, however, the consequences are almost always the same. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware capacity of your personal computer to conduct this procedure. This virus does not take note of the fact that you may want to use your system for other activities – it will consistently use over 80% of your processor power.
Minstlink.exe – Really high CPU as well as GPU usage
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as essential as CPU for system work, so Minstlink.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use it all. It often can cause unhappy results.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a 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 graphic cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer 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 Minstlink.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
First, Minstlink.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, since all CPU 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 web browser is open, you will likely experience exceptionally sluggish performance. Pages can open for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that works online.
Minstlink.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Minstlink.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Mypal.exe, Wavepad.exe, Runner.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Minstlink.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a single negative thing coin miners perform to your PC. Minstlink.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To carry out all malicious functions effectively, it ruins the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be gone back to the initial state in the process of system recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides decreasing your system’s performance, performing at peak power for long times can trigger damage to your device and increase electricity bills. Hardware components are designed to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.
Little and well-protected processor fan is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if touched while working, for example, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Minstlink.exe can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Graphic cards are also prone to have increased wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an undesirable case when the performance of your video card decreases on 20-30% only after several weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Minstlink.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 malevolent programs among “major” viruses. Adware frequently functions as a carrier for Minstlink.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Minstlink.exe is just one of them.4
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
Another way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the unreliable site as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to make money. For this reason, there is a very big temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for every setup. Before criticizing these individuals for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay 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 desktop.
How to remove the Minstlink.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 the use of special software. Appropriate anti-malware program should have high performance at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization also on weak systems. In addition, it is better to have proactive security in your security tool – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these features for different factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect option that fits each of the discussed qualities.5
Prior to the malware removal, it is important to boot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Minstlink.exe miner takes a lot of processor power, 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.
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, just like 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 Minstlink.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 Minstlink.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Minstlink.exe
Description: The Minstlink.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Minstlink.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.
