Msn.exe Virus (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Msn.exe executable file comes from a malicious application that can correctly be defined as a coin miner trojan. That malware type utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer almost unfunctional because of high CPU utilization.

What is Msn.exe process?

Msn.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
Msn.exe Windows Process

Msn.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU utilization, 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 critical as CPU for system work, so Msn.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use all of it. It often may result in sad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

List of the typical coin miner symptoms

  • Extremely bad performance
  • CPU/GPU cooler fan creates a lot of noise
  • High temperature of the device (for laptops)
  • 80-90% consumption of CPU/GPU resources by an unknown process
  • Microsoft Defender is not working
  • How dangerous is the Msn.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, Msn.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, because all processor power is used by a virus. 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 web browser is open, you will likely struggle with exceptionally slow performance. Pages can open for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person who works online.

    Msn.exe Technical Summary.

    File Name Msn.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Urr.exe, Nheqagent.exe, Ggshka.exe
    Removal Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Msn.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a solitary unpleasant activity coin miners perform to your personal computer. Msn.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To conduct all malevolent operations effectively, it wrecks the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new notes – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be gone back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your PC’s performance, performing at peak power for a long period of time can trigger damage to your device and increase electricity expenses. PC elements are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Tiny and covered processor fan is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while running, for example, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Msn.exe miner can easily lead to graphic card failure3. GPUs are also prone to have very fast wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely an unwanted situation when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% only after several weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Msn.exe coin miner virus?

    Coin miners are spread through different ways, but their main sources are malicious banners and programs from dubious sources
    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    An additional way you could get this thing on your computer is by downloading it from the untrustworthy website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to get paid. For this reason, there is a huge lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for every installation. Before criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright 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 sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Msn.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.

    Boot into Windows Safe Mode

    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.

    windows safe mode boot option with command prompt

    When your PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, just like the majority of non-crucial system components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    References

    1. Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
    2. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.

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    About the author

    Robert Bailey

    Security engineer focused on malware behavior, removal workflows, and Windows hardening. Robert reviews threat articles for practical accuracy, checking detection names, symptoms, and cleanup steps before publication.

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