Resources.exe executable file belongs to a malicious application that can correctly be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware form uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer roughly nonfunctional because of high CPU use.
What is Resources.exe process?
Resources.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
Resources.exe – Really high CPU/GPU usage
Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as crucial as CPU for system work, so Resources.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use all of it. It sometimes may result in bad consequences.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Resources.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
Initially, Resources.exe malware makes your PC 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 focuses on is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely struggle with incredibly sluggish efficiency. Pages can open for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who does a job online.
Resources.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Resources.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 Resources.exe removal. |
“Visible” damage is not a single negative activity coin miners do to your computer. Resources.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your OS. To perform all malevolent functions correctly, it ruins the security mechanisms 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 coin miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be gone back to the original in the process of PC recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides decreasing your system’s performance, running at peak level for long times can cause damage to your machine as well as increase power bills. PC components are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Tiny and well-protected CPU cooling system is hard to crack. 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 unusually high load caused by Resources.exe can easily lead to GPU failure3. Video cards are also prone to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an unwanted situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Resources.exe coin miner virus?
Coin miners are spread through different ways, but their main sources are malicious banners and programs from dubious sources
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
One more way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the untrustworthy site as a part of a program. People who spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. Therefore, there is a very big temptation to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for every installation. Before criticizing these guys for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus software as well as new parts for your PC.
How to remove the Resources.exe miner from my PC?
The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software
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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, just like the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the PC without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
References
- Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
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