Printfileclo.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Printfileclo.exe executable file comes from a harmful program that can properly be recognized as a coin miner trojan. That malware type uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer roughly unfunctional because of high CPU utilization.
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What is Printfileclo.exe process?

Printfileclo.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have specified previously, Printfileclo.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the executive file can be diverse, but the effects are almost always the same. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware power of your desktop to perform this process. This virus does not take note of the fact that you probably need to use your machine for other activities – it will continuously consume over 80% of your processor power.

Printfileclo.exe Windows Process

Printfileclo.exe – Very high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their operations. In that situation, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Printfileclo.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes may lead to sad results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining is a term that means the activity 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 very powerful machine is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of GPUs to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters 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

  • Your device overheats (system unit/laptop body is very hot)
  • You are not able to open your apps or they are opening for ages
  • Unknown process is running in the background and consumes your PC resources
  • Windows Defender does not respond
  • How dangerous is the Printfileclo.exe miner?

    Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system

    First of all, Printfileclo.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, as all CPU power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, all it pays attention to is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from exceptionally slow performance. Pages can open for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who works online.

    Printfileclo.exe Technical Summary.

    File Name Printfileclo.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Rcu64.virus/, Msetup.exe, Micro.exe
    Removal Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Printfileclo.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a solitary bad activity coin miners perform to your PC. Printfileclo.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To execute all malicious operations correctly, it wrecks the security components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a load of new entries – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be thrown back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak power for long times can cause damage to your machine as well as raise electricity bills. PC components are created to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.

    Compact and well-protected processor fan is not very easy to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while working, for instance, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Printfileclo.exe miner can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Video cards are also prone to have very fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an unwanted situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Printfileclo.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 through “severe” viruses. Adware frequently functions as a carrier for Printfileclo.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that about 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Printfileclo.exe is right one of them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    An additional way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the unreliable site as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to make money. Thus, there is a huge temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for each installation. Before criticizing these people 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 one time than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus software as well as new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Printfileclo.exe miner from my PC?

    The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software

    Removing such a virus demands making use of specific tool. Effective antivirus should have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization even on weak PCs. Furthermore, it is better to have proactive security in your security solution – to halt the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for different factors. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal choice that fits all of the discussed characteristics.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to boot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Printfileclo.exe miner takes a lot of CPU power, 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.

    Boot into Windows Safe Mode

    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.

    windows safe mode boot option with command prompt

    When your PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, just like the majority of non-crucial Windows 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 Printfileclo.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.

    GridinSoft Anti-Malware free trial

    After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.

    Scanning in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

    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.

    GridinSoft Anti-Malware after the scan process

    Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.

    Remove Printfileclo.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Printfileclo.exe

    Description: The Printfileclo.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Printfileclo.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

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    References

    1. Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
    2. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
    3. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
    4. Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
    5. Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

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    About the author

    Robert Bailey

    I'm Robert Bailey, a passionate Security Engineer with a deep fascination for all things related to malware, reverse engineering, and white hat ethical hacking.

    As a white hat hacker, I firmly believe in the power of ethical hacking to bolster security measures. By identifying vulnerabilities and providing solutions, I contribute to the proactive defense of digital infrastructures.

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