Networkcap.exe is a process related to HP Network HSA Service. It is commonly harmles, though the name of this process may be used by various malicious programs, usually coin miners.
Hewlett-Packard embeds several software solutions into Windows installations supplied with pre-build PCs and laptops. HP Network HSA Service, that generates networkcap.exe process, is among them. By default, this process should not generate significant load on any system components. Witnessing networkcap.exe causing high CPU load most likely means that you’re facing a malicious program.
What is Networkcap.exe process?
Networkcap.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As previously mentioned, Networkcap.exe carries the potential of being a coin miner trojan. The most apparent indication of its malicious nature is the excessive CPU load, typically surpassing 80%. A genuine version of this process does not require such a substantial amount of CPU power, even on weak PC builds.
Networkcap.exe – Extremely high CPU and GPU use
In addition to CPU usage, you can also verify the process’s legitimacy by examining its .exe file location. The legitimate Networkcap.exe instance sits in C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository. To confirm the file location of the process, right-click on it in the Task Manager and select the “Open file location” button in the dialog box. If the file exists in any other directory besides the one mentioned, it suggests that the file has malicious origins.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Crypto mining means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of any project 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 are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of GPUs to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Crooks who gain money via this coin miner use someones’ PCs instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.1
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Networkcap.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
Initially, Networkcap.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, since all CPU power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, all it pays attention to is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from incredibly sluggish performance. Pages will open up for years, any sort of logins will take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who does a job online.
Networkcap.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Networkcap.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Nw.exe, Streaming.exe, Bgaupsell.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Networkcap.exe removal. |
“Visible” damage is not a single unpleasant activity coin miners perform to your system. Networkcap.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To perform all malicious operations properly, it ruins the security 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 brought in by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these changes are about to be gone back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your PC, performing at peak level for long times can trigger damage to your machine and raise electricity expenses. PC elements are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Compact and covered CPU fan is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if touched while running, for instance, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Networkcap.exe miner can easily lead to graphic card failure2. Video cards are also tend to have very fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an undesirable case when the performance of your video card decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Networkcap.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 “major” malware. Adware sometimes works as a carrier for Networkcap.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that around 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Networkcap.exe is right among them.
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
Another way you could get this item on your computer is by downloading it from the dubious website as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to make money. For this reason, there is a very big temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for each setup. Prior to criticizing these people for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your desktop.
How to remove the Networkcap.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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, along with the majority of non-critical operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
References
- Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
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