MTA1.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
MTA1.exe process belongs to a malevolent application that can accurately be recognized as a coin miner trojan. That malware form uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer pretty much unfunctional due to high CPU usage.
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What is MTA1.exe process?

MTA1.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have actually mentioned in the introduction, MTA1.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file may be diverse, however, the effects are generally the identical. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware power of your desktop to conduct this process. This virus does not take note of the fact that you may need to use your desktop for other activities – it will consistently use over 80% of your CPU power.

MTA1.exe Windows Process

MTA1.exe – Very high CPU as well as GPU use

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often utilized on 100%. It is not as essential as CPU for system work, so MTA1.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It sometimes can lead to sad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining is a term that means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful computer is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of GPUs to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Fraudsters who gain money via this coin miner use someones’ PCs instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2

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 MTA1.exe miner?

    Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system

    First of all, MTA1.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, as all processor power is consumed by a malware. That malware does not care for your needs, all it focuses on is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely experience extremely sluggish performance. Pages can open for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person who works online.

    MTA1.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameMTA1.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorDocuments.exe, Accountpictures.exe, Remote.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic MTA1.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary negative thing coin miners perform to your personal computer. Mta1.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To conduct all malicious functions successfully, it ruins the security mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new notes – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be thrown back to the original in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your computer’s performance, performing at peak level for long times may trigger damage to your device as well as increase power bills. Hardware components 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 well-protected processor fan is hard to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if affected while working, for example, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Mta1.exe can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. GPUs are also prone to have very fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely a bad situation when the performance of your GPU plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Mta1.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 malicious programs through “serious” malware. Adware often functions as a carrier for Mta1.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that around 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Mta1.exe is just among them.

    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 unreliable website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to make money. Therefore, there is a huge lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for every setup. Prior to criticizing these individuals for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid buying the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Mta1.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 involves making use of special software. Proper anti-malware program must have high performance at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage also on weak PCs. Furthermore, it is better to have on-run protection in your security solution – to halt the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for various reasons. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits each of the specified features.4

    Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Mta1.exe miner consumes a lot of processor capacity, it is required 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.

    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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party programs, along with the majority of non-crucial operating system 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 Mta1.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.

    GridinSoft Anti-Malware free trial

    After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.

    Scanning MTA1.exe

    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.

    MTA1.exe after the scan process

    Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.

    Remove MTA1.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: MTA1.exe

    Description: The MTA1.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This MTA1.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

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    References

    1. Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
    2. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
    3. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
    4. Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

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    About the author

    Robert Bailey

    I'm Robert Bailey, a passionate Security Engineer with a deep fascination for all things related to malware, reverse engineering, and white hat ethical hacking.

    As a white hat hacker, I firmly believe in the power of ethical hacking to bolster security measures. By identifying vulnerabilities and providing solutions, I contribute to the proactive defense of digital infrastructures.

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