Proxypub.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Proxypub.exe process is related to a malevolent application that can accurately be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer pretty much nonfunctional as a result of high CPU utilization.
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What is Proxypub.exe process?

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

As I have actually pointed out before, Proxypub.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file may be different, but the effects are usually the same. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware capacity of your PC to perform this process. This virus does not pay attention to the fact that you probably want to make use of your computer for other tasks – it will constantly consume over 80% of your processor power.

Proxypub.exe Windows Process

Proxypub.exe – Extremely high CPU and GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as critical as CPU for system work, so Proxypub.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use it all. It sometimes can cause sad results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining term means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very strong machine is required. Exactly, the video card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining 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. Fraudsters who gain money 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

  • Extremely bad performance
  • CPU/GPU cooler fan creates a lot of noise
  • High temperature of the device (for laptops)
  • 80-90% consumption of CPU/GPU resources by an unknown process
  • Microsoft Defender is not working
  • How dangerous is the Proxypub.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, Proxypub.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, as all processor power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, all it focuses on is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely experience exceptionally slow performance. Pages will open up for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who does a job online.

    Proxypub.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameProxypub.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorVape_v4.exe, Raconnn.exe, Lilin.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Proxypub.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single negative thing coin miners perform to your system. Proxypub.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malevolent functions successfully, it ruins the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new notes – they are added by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be gone back to the original in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, running at peak level for long times can trigger damage to your machine as well as raise power expenses. Hardware components are designed to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Little and well-protected processor cooling system is quite hard to broke. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if touched while running, for instance, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Proxypub.exe malware can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. GPUs are also prone to have increased wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an unwanted case when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Proxypub.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 the most prevalent malicious programs among “serious” malware. Adware sometimes functions as a carrier for Proxypub.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that approximately 30% of all malware spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Proxypub.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 untrustworthy website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to get paid. Hence, there is a very big lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for every installation. Prior to criticizing these people for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus software as well as new parts for your PC.

    How to remove the Proxypub.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 using specific app. Appropriate security tool should have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage also on weak PCs. In addition, it is better to have proactive protection in your security solution – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for different factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal option that fits all of the mentioned characteristics.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to boot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Proxypub.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU 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.

    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 software, just like the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the system without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Proxypub.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 Proxypub.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Proxypub.exe

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