Ntlhost.exe process is related to a malicious program that can properly 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 roughly unfunctional due to high CPU usage.
What is Ntlhost.exe process?
Ntlhost.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have pointed out before, Ntlhost.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file can be different, but the effects are usually the identical. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware capacity of your PC to conduct this operation. This virus does not take note of the fact that you may need to make use of your device for other activities – it will continuously consume over 80% of your processor power.
Ntlhost.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU use
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally make use of GPU power for their operations. In that situation, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so Ntlhost.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It often can cause sad consequences.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a strong computer is required. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of dozens of graphic cards 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
How dangerous is the Ntlhost.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, Ntlhost.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, as all CPU power is consumed by a malware. 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 browser is open, you will likely struggle with incredibly sluggish efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who does a job online.
Ntlhost.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Ntlhost.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Xmr.stak, Iper.exe, 3r3skmpuvcoiyp.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Ntlhost.exe removal. |
“Visible” damage is not a single bad thing coin miners do to your personal computer. Ntlhost.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malevolent operations effectively, it ruins the security mechanisms 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 brought in by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be reverted to the initial state in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak power for long times may cause damage to your device and increase power bills. Hardware components are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Little and well-protected CPU fan is hard to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if affected while working, for example, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Ntlhost.exe 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 an undesirable situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Ntlhost.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 the most prevalent malicious programs through “severe” viruses. Adware often serves as a carrier for Ntlhost.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that approximately 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Ntlhost.exe is right one of them.
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
Another way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the suspicious web page as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. Hence, there is a very big temptation to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for each setup. Before criticizing these people for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Ntlhost.exe miner from my PC?
The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software
Eliminating such a virus involves making use of special software. Proper anti-malware program should have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization also on weak systems. Additionally, it is recommended to have proactive security in your protection solution – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions for different reasons. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits all of the specified qualities.4
Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Ntlhost.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.
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 applications, along with the majority of non-critical Windows components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
Remove Ntlhost.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.
After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.
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.
Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.
Remove Ntlhost.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Ntlhost.exe
Description: The Ntlhost.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Ntlhost.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
User Review
( votes)References
- Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
- Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
- Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
