Paint.exe executable file is related to a malicious application that can accurately be defined as a coin miner virus. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer roughly unusable due to high CPU use.
What is Paint.exe process?
Paint.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have actually specified previously, Paint.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file may be different, however, the effects are usually the same. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware capacity of your personal computer to run this operation. This virus doesn’t take note of the fact that you may want to make use of your PC for other tasks – it will consistently use over 80% of your processor power.
Paint.exe – Really high CPU and GPU use
Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as crucial as processor for system work, so Paint.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It often may cause unhappy consequences.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining is a term that means the action 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 strong PC is required. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “normal” 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.2
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Paint.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, Paint.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, since all CPU power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your needs, 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 suffer from incredibly sluggish performance. Pages can open for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who works online.
Paint.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Paint.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Dism.exe, Pdfpower.exe, Buzz.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Paint.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a single negative activity coin miners do to your personal computer. Paint.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To carry out all malevolent functions successfully, it wrecks the protection 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 ton of new notes – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your system to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes are about to be reverted to the original in the process of system recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your PC, performing at peak level for long times can trigger damage to your device and increase electricity expenses. Hardware elements are designed to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.
Little and well-protected processor cooling system is hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while spinning, for instance, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Paint.exe can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Video cards are also prone to have fast wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is likely a bad case when the performance of your graphic card plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Paint.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” viruses. Adware frequently functions as a carrier for Paint.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that approximately 30% of all malware spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Paint.exe is right with them.4
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 unreliable website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to get paid. Thus, there is a very big lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for each setup. Prior to blaming these individuals for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus software and new parts for your desktop.
How to remove the Paint.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 making use of specific app. Proper anti-malware program should have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization also on weak systems. In addition, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your protection tool – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these functions for various 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 characteristics.5
Prior to the virus removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Paint.exe miner takes a lot of processor capacity, it is required to halt 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, just like the majority of non-critical operating system components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Paint.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 Paint.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Paint.exe
Description: The Paint.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Paint.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.
- Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
- Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
