Nw.exe process is related to a malicious program that can correctly be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer almost unfunctional due to high CPU usage.
What is Nw.exe process?
Nw.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have actually mentioned in the introduction, Nw.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file may be diverse, however, the impacts are generally the same. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware capacity of your desktop to conduct this process. This malware doesn’t take note of the fact that you probably need to use your computer for other tasks – it will constantly take over 80% of your processor power.
Nw.exe – Really high CPU as well as GPU use
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Nw.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes may cause bad consequences.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Crypto mining is a term that means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a high-end desktop is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of dozens of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “general” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. 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
How dangerous is the Nw.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, Nw.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, as all processor power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, 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 slow performance. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.
Nw.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Nw.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Bgaupsell.exe, Diagscap.exe, Ghsetup.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Nw.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary negative thing coin miners do to your computer. Nw.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To conduct all malevolent operations effectively, it ruins the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to avoid recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be reverted to the original in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak level for a long period of time can trigger damage to your machine and increase electricity expenses. Hardware components are designed to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.
Tiny and well-protected CPU cooling system is hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, 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 unusually high load caused by Nw.exe malware can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have increased wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely a bad situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Nw.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 sometimes acts as a carrier for Nw.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that about 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Nw.exe is just one of them.
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
Another way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the dubious site as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to make money. Therefore, there is a huge lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for every setup. Before criticizing these guys for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program and new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Nw.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 requires the use of special app. Appropriate antivirus must have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage also on weak systems. Additionally, it is recommended to have on-run protection in your security tool – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements for different reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits each of the discussed qualities.4
Before the malware removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Nw.exe miner takes a lot of processor power, 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.
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 system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the PC without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Nw.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 Nw.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Nw.exe
Description: The Nw.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Nw.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.
