Msm.exe process comes from a malicious application that can properly be defined as a coin miner trojan. That malware type uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system almost unfunctional because of high CPU usage.
What is Msm.exe process?
Msm.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have mentioned earlier, Msm.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file can be diverse, however, the effects are generally the identical. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware capacity of your personal computer to run this procedure. This malware doesn’t pay attention to the fact that you may want to make use of your computer for other activities – it will always use over 80% of your processor power.
Msm.exe – Very high CPU and GPU use
Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so Msm.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It often may cause bad consequences.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Crypto mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very strong desktop is required. Exactly, the video card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of dozens of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “general” 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 Msm.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
Firstly, Msm.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, because all CPU power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, all it focuses on is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely struggle with extremely slow performance. Pages will open for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who works online.
Msm.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Msm.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Hidfind.exe, Msisa.exe, 7z2107.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Msm.exe removal. |
“Visible” damage is not a single unpleasant activity coin miners perform to your personal computer. Msm.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To complete all malicious functions successfully, it wrecks the protection features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are added by this coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes shall be gone back to the initial state in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your PC, performing at peak power for a long period of time can trigger damage to your device and increase power bills. Hardware elements are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.
Small and well-protected CPU fan is hard to broke. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if touched while spinning, for example, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Msm.exe malware can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely a bad situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Msm.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 “severe” viruses. Adware frequently functions as a carrier for Msm.exe malware injection: it demonstrates 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 approximately 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Msm.exe is right with them.4
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
An additional way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the dubious web page as a part of a program. People that spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. Therefore, there is a huge temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for every installation. Before blaming these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK 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 figure for antivirus program as well as new parts for your PC.
How to remove the Msm.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 needs making use of special software. Proper anti-malware program should have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization also on weak PCs. In addition, it is better to have proactive security in your security solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these functions for different reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits each of the specified qualities.5
Prior to the malware removal, it is important to boot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Msm.exe miner takes 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 system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Msm.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 Msm.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Msm.exe
Description: The Msm.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Msm.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.
