Msconfig.exe executable file is related to a malicious application that can accurately be defined as a coin miner trojan. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer roughly nonfunctional due to high CPU use.
What is Msconfig.exe process?
Msconfig.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
Msconfig.exe – Very high CPU as well as GPU usage
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will likely struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as essential as CPU for system work, so Msconfig.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes can cause bad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Msconfig.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
First, Msconfig.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, 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 extremely slow efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person that works online.
Msconfig.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Msconfig.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Recoverydrive.exe, Snippingtool.exe, Tieringengineservice.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Msconfig.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary unpleasant thing coin miners do to your PC. Msconfig.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To perform all malicious functions properly, it wrecks the security 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 number of new entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments shall be gone back to the original in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak level for long times can trigger damage to your device and raise electricity bills. Hardware elements are created to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.
Tiny and covered CPU cooling system is not very easy to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if touched while working, for instance, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Msconfig.exe can easily lead to GPU failure3. Video cards are also prone to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely a bad situation when the performance of your GPU decreases on 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Msconfig.exe coin miner virus?
Coin miners are spread through different ways, but their main sources are malicious banners and programs from dubious sources
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 dubious site as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to get paid. Thus, there is a huge temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for every installation. Prior to blaming these guys for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid purchasing 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 software as well as new parts for your desktop.
How to remove the Msconfig.exe miner from my PC?
The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software
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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, along with the majority of non-critical operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
References
- Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
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