Qtwebengineprocess.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Qtwebengineprocess.exe executable file comes from the Origin app – a digital distribution platform for games and gamers’ communication. It is a legit part of this application that is responsible for interface rendering. That process can also appear with other programs that use the website-in-app interface. However, sometimes this name is hijacked by malware, also known as trojan coin miner. This virus utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system pretty much nonfunctional due to high CPU usage.
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What is Qtwebengineprocess.exe process?

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

As I have actually specified before, Qtwebengineprocess.exe is originally a legit element of different apps, primarily – the Origin application. Such programs as RingCentral, Steam, Dropbox and Glyph also use this web engine, and thus can call for this process. But numerous cases when under this name there is a coin miner trojan virus is a reason to be on alarm. It is a very unpleasant case to have your computer overloaded, and have not even a bit of benefit from this overloading. Considering that coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware power of your personal computer to perform this operation. This malware doesn’t take note of the fact that you may want to use your desktop for other tasks – it will always take over 80% of your processor power.

Qtwebengineprocess.exe Windows Process

Qtwebengineprocess.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU usage

Fortunately, it is quite easy to check that process for benevolence. Regardless of the program that uses Qtwebengineprocess.exe, it must be located in the folder of this program. Find that process in the Task Manager, than click it with RMB and press “Open file location” button in the context menu. The system will show you the directory where the file is kept. If it is different from C:\Program Files\%appname%, and looks like C:\Users\%username%\temp – you definitely have to deal with a virus. It also sometimes has several mistakes in its name – they are hard to distinguish, but they are obvious when you check the name precisely. Qtwedengineprocess or Qtwebenginprocess are definitely not your friends!

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will likely struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Qtwebengineprocess.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use it all. It sometimes may cause sad results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining means the action 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 strong desktop is required. Exactly, the video card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of dozens of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who make profit 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

  • 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 Qtwebengineprocess.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, Qtwebengineprocess.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, since all CPU power is consumed by a virus. 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 extremely sluggish efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any type of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person who works online.

    Qtwebengineprocess.exe Technical Summary.

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

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary negative activity coin miners perform to your PC. Qtwebengineprocess.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To complete all malevolent functions successfully, it wrecks the security components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to avoid recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a number of new notes – they are added by this coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes are about to be gone back to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your PC’s performance, performing at peak power for a long period of time may cause damage to your machine and increase electricity bills. PC elements are designed to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Tiny and well-protected processor cooling system is not very easy to broke. 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 virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Qtwebengineprocess.exe can easily lead to graphic card failure3. GPUs are also tend to have very fast wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely a bad situation when the performance of your GPU decreases on 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Qtwebengineprocess.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 through “major” viruses. Adware frequently functions as a carrier for Qtwebengineprocess.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all viruses spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and Qtwebengineprocess.exe is right with them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    Another way you could get this thing on your computer is by downloading it from the suspicious website as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. Thus, there is a very big lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for every installation. Prior to criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid purchasing the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Qtwebengineprocess.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 involves making use of special tool. Appropriate antivirus should have high performance at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak systems. Furthermore, it is better to have proactive security in your security solution – to stop the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these functions for various factors. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal choice that fits each of the discussed qualities.5

    Before the virus removal, it is important to boot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Qtwebengineprocess.exe miner takes 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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, along with the majority of non-crucial system components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Qtwebengineprocess.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 Qtwebengineprocess.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Qtwebengineprocess.exe

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