Msdt.exe process comes from a malevolent program that can accurately be defined as a coin miner trojan. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer roughly unusable because of high CPU usage.
What is Msdt.exe process?
Msdt.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have mentioned in the introduction, Msdt.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file can be different, but the impacts are generally the same. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware power of your desktop to conduct this procedure. This virus does not pay attention to the fact that you probably want to use your system for other tasks – it will continuously take over 80% of your CPU power.
Msdt.exe – Really high CPU and GPU usage
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their operations. In that situation, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so Msdt.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use all of it. It often can lead to unhappy results.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining is a term that means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a high-end PC is needed. Exactly, the video card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of graphic cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “general” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. 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 Msdt.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
First off, Msdt.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, since all processor power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your demands, all it focuses on is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely struggle with exceptionally sluggish efficiency. Pages will open for years, any sort of logins will take about a minute – just a horror story for a person that works online.
Msdt.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Msdt.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Igfxcuiservicen.exe, Igfxemn.exe, Gwidlmon.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Msdt.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary negative thing coin miners perform to your PC. Msdt.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your operating system. To execute all malevolent functions effectively, it wrecks the protection mechanisms 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 number of new entries – they are added by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments are about to be reverted to the initial state in the process of system recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides making your PC slow, running at peak power for a long period of time may trigger damage to your device as well as increase electricity costs. PC components are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Compact and well-protected CPU cooling system is quite hard to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while spinning, for example, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Msdt.exe malware can easily lead to GPU failure3. Video cards are also prone to have very fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely a bad case when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Msdt.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 malicious programs through “serious” viruses. Adware sometimes serves as a carrier for Msdt.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 about 30% of all viruses spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and Msdt.exe is just with them.4
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
One more way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the dubious website as a part of a program. People who spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. For this reason, there is a huge lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for each setup. Prior to criticizing these people for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid purchasing the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus software as well as new parts for your PC.
How to remove the Msdt.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 making use of special software. Appropriate anti-malware program must have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage even on weak PCs. On top of that, it is recommended to have on-run security in your security solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for different reasons. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits all of the specified features.5
Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Msdt.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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, just like the majority of non-critical Windows components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Msdt.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 Msdt.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Msdt.exe
Description: The Msdt.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Msdt.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.
