Mnst.exe executable file comes from a malicious application that can accurately be defined as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system almost unusable because of high CPU utilization.
What is Mnst.exe process?
Mnst.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have actually mentioned before, Mnst.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file can be different, but the impacts are generally the same. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware capacity of your personal computer to run this process. This virus doesn’t take note of the fact that you probably want to use your computer for other tasks – it will continuously consume over 80% of your CPU power.
Mnst.exe – Really high CPU and GPU usage
Besides CPU usage, 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 crucial as CPU for system work, so Mnst.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use all of it. It sometimes may result in unhappy effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Crypto mining term means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful PC is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of dozens of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “usual” 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 Mnst.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
First of all, Mnst.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, because all CPU power is consumed 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 web browser is open, you will likely experience extremely sluggish efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who works online.
Mnst.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Mnst.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Yakopayu.exe, Verus.solver, Btg.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Mnst.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a single bad activity coin miners do to your system. Mnst.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To carry out all malevolent operations successfully, it ruins the protection features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to avoid detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new notes – they are added by this coin miner to connect your system to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes shall be reverted to the initial state in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides decreasing your PC’s performance, performing at peak power for a long period of time can cause damage to your machine and increase power costs. PC elements are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.
Compact and well-protected processor cooling system is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if touched while running, for instance, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Mnst.exe miner can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. GPUs are also tend to have very fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an unwanted situation when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% only after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Mnst.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 “serious” malware. Adware often functions as a carrier for Mnst.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Mnst.exe is right one of 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. People who spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to get paid. Therefore, there is a very big lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for each installation. Before criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid buying the program in such a way? 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 computer.
How to remove the Mnst.exe miner from my PC?
The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software
Getting rid of such a virus requires the use of specific app. Effective antivirus should have high efficiency at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage also on weak systems. On top of that, it is recommended to have on-run security in your security tool – to prevent 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 reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb option that fits each of the specified features.5
Before the virus removal, it is important to boot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Mnst.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU 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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, along with the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Mnst.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 Mnst.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Mnst.exe
Description: The Mnst.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Mnst.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.
