Qqlo.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Qqlo.exe executable file comes from a harmful application that can properly be identified as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer pretty much unfunctional because of high CPU usage.
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What is Qqlo.exe process?

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

As I have actually mentioned in the introduction, Qqlo.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the executive file can be different, however, the effects are almost always the same. Since coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware power of your desktop to run this operation. This virus does not pay attention to the fact that you probably want to use your system for other tasks – it will constantly take over 80% of your processor power.

Qqlo.exe Windows Process

Qqlo.exe – Really high CPU and GPU use

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as crucial as processor for system work, so Qqlo.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes can result in unhappy consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining is a term that means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful machine is required. Exactly, the GPU is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of dozens of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters 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

  • Microsoft Defender is stopped;
  • CPU and GPU is loaded at 80-90% exactly after the system start
  • Cooling fans are running at high speed and create a lot of noise
  • A single process in Task Manager consumes all CPU and GPU power
  • How dangerous is the Qqlo.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, Qqlo.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, since all processor power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your demands, all it focuses on is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely struggle with extremely sluggish efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a horror story for a person that does a job online.

    Qqlo.exe Technical Summary.

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

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary negative activity coin miners perform to your computer. Qqlo.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To execute all malicious operations properly, it wrecks the protection 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 entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your computer to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be reverted to the initial state in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides slowing down your PC, performing at peak power for long times can cause damage to your machine and increase electricity costs. Hardware elements are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Small and covered CPU fan is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while running, for example, by the user much earlier before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Qqlo.exe virus can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Video cards are also prone to have increased wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an undesirable case when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Qqlo.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 malicious programs through “major” malware. Adware sometimes serves as a carrier for Qqlo.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, 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 with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Qqlo.exe is right one of them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    One more way you could get this thing on your computer is by downloading it from the suspicious web page as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to get paid. Hence, there is a huge lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for each installation. Prior to criticizing these guys for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid purchasing the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Qqlo.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 making use of specific software. Appropriate anti-malware program should have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization also on weak computers. Furthermore, it is better to have on-run security in your protection tool – to stop the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for different factors. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great option that fits all of the mentioned characteristics.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to boot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Qqlo.exe miner consumes a lot of processor capacity, it is required to stop 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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, just like the majority of non-critical Windows 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 Qqlo.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 Qqlo.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Qqlo.exe

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