Prem.exe executable file is related to a malevolent application that can accurately be identified as a coin miner virus. That malware form utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system pretty much unusable due to high CPU usage.
What is Prem.exe process?
Prem.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have pointed out earlier, Prem.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file may be different, however, the consequences are usually the identical. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware power of your personal computer to conduct this process. This virus doesn’t pay attention to the fact that you may need to make use of your system for other activities – it will constantly consume over 80% of your CPU power.
Prem.exe – Very high CPU as well as GPU usage
Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Prem.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use it all. It often can lead to bad results.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Crypto mining means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful computer is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ computers instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Prem.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
First, Prem.exe malware makes your system 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 pays attention to is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely suffer from incredibly slow performance. 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.
Prem.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Prem.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Osdmnuu.exe, Npe.exe, Wndows.driver |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Prem.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary unpleasant thing coin miners perform to your computer. Prem.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malicious operations properly, it wrecks the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are added by this coin miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be thrown back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your PC, running at peak level for a long period of time may trigger damage to your device and increase power costs. PC elements are created to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.
Compact and well-protected CPU cooling system is hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while running, for example, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Prem.exe miner can easily lead to graphic card failure3. GPUs are also tend to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an undesirable situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Prem.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 prevalent malicious programs among “severe” malware. Adware often acts as a carrier for Prem.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that approximately 30% of all malware spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Prem.exe is just one of them.4
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
An additional way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the untrustworthy web page as a part of a program. People who spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. For this reason, there is a huge temptation to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for each installation. Before criticizing these guys for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid purchasing the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program and new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Prem.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 demands the use of specific software. Effective antivirus must have high performance at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak systems. On top of that, it is better to have on-run security in your protection solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for various reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits each of the specified qualities.5
Prior to the virus removal, it is important to boot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Prem.exe miner consumes a lot of processor 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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, along with the majority of non-crucial operating system components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the PC without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Prem.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 Prem.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Prem.exe
Description: The Prem.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Prem.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.
