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
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
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
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
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.
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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