Neofim.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Neofim.exe process comes from a malevolent program that can properly be identified as a coin miner virus. That malware type utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer roughly unfunctional due to high CPU utilization.
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What is Neofim.exe process?

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

As I have actually specified previously, Neofim.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file may be different, but the consequences are usually the identical. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware power of your desktop to conduct this process. This malware does not pay attention to the fact that you may need to make use of your machine for other tasks – it will always take over 80% of your processor power.

Neofim.exe Windows Process

Neofim.exe – Very high CPU and GPU use

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as important as processor for system work, so Neofim.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use all of it. It often may cause sad consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining is a term that means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very strong PC is needed. Exactly, the video card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of dozens of GPUs to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Crooks who gain money 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

  • Your device overheats (system unit/laptop body is very hot)
  • You are not able to open your apps or they are opening for ages
  • Unknown process is running in the background and consumes your PC resources
  • Windows Defender does not respond
  • How dangerous is the Neofim.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, Neofim.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, as all CPU power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, all it pays attention to is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely struggle with incredibly slow performance. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person who does a job online.

    Neofim.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameNeofim.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorChipset.exe, Spooltracksystem.exe, Wandrv6_reboot.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Neofim.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single bad thing coin miners do to your computer. Neofim.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To conduct all malevolent functions successfully, it wrecks the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new notes – they are brought in by this trojan 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 slowing down your PC, running at peak level for long times can trigger damage to your device and increase power expenses. Hardware components are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Small and well-protected CPU fan is not very easy to crack. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while working, for example, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Neofim.exe miner can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. GPUs are also prone to have increased wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely an unwanted case when the performance of your graphic card plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Neofim.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 “major” viruses. Adware often acts as a carrier for Neofim.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that about 30% of all viruses spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and Neofim.exe is right one of them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    One more way you could get this thing on your computer is by downloading it from the untrustworthy site as a part of a program. People who spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to earn money. Thus, there is a huge temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for each installation. Before blaming these individuals for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid purchasing the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus program and new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Neofim.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 the use of specific app. Appropriate security tool must have high efficiency at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization also on weak computers. Additionally, it is recommended to have proactive security in your security tool – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for various factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great option that fits each of the mentioned features.5

    Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Neofim.exe miner takes a lot of processor power, 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.

    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 software, just like the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Neofim.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 in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

    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.

    GridinSoft Anti-Malware 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 Neofim.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Neofim.exe

    Description: The Neofim.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Neofim.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. Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
    5. 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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