Pm.exe executable file is related to a harmful application that can correctly be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware type uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system almost nonfunctional because of high CPU use.
What is Pm.exe process?
Pm.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have specified in the previous paragraph, Pm.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file can be different, however, the consequences are usually the identical. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware power of your desktop to conduct this procedure. This virus does not take note of the fact that you may want to make use of your PC for other tasks – it will always take over 80% of your processor power.
Pm.exe – Really high CPU/GPU usage
Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their tasks. In that situation, you will likely struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often utilized on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Pm.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use it all. It often may cause unhappy results.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency 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 action takes a lot of calculations, a high-end computer is needed. Exactly, the video card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who make profit 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 Pm.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, Pm.exe malware makes your computer overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, as all CPU power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your wants, all it focuses on is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely experience exceptionally sluggish performance. Pages can open for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person who does a job online.
Pm.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Pm.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Lineinst.exe, Minerhash.exe, Zecminer64.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Pm.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary unpleasant activity coin miners do to your computer. Pm.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To carry out all malevolent functions successfully, it ruins the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts 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 PC to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments shall be gone back to the original in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your computer, running at peak level for a long period of time may trigger damage to your machine as well as increase electricity bills. Hardware components are created to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.
Small and well-protected CPU cooling system is not very easy to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while working, for example, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Pm.exe malware can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have increased wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an unwanted situation when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Pm.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 widespread malicious programs among “major” malware. Adware often serves as a carrier for Pm.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – 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 Pm.exe is just among them.4
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 unreliable web page as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked variants of favored programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to earn money. Thus, there is a very big temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for every installation. Before blaming these people for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program and new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Pm.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 needs the use of specific tool. Effective anti-malware program should have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage also on weak computers. In addition, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your security solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these functions for different reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal option that fits each of the specified characteristics.5
Prior to the malware removal, it is important to boot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Pm.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU capacity, it is needed 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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, just like the majority of non-critical system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
Remove Pm.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 Pm.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Pm.exe
Description: The Pm.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Pm.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.
