Runtimeservice.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Runtimeservice.exe executable file is related to a malevolent application that can properly be recognized as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system roughly nonfunctional as a result of high CPU usage.
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What is Runtimeservice.exe process?

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

As I have specified before, Runtimeservice.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the .exe file can be different, however, the effects are almost always the same. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware power of your personal computer to run this procedure. This malware doesn’t pay attention to the fact that you probably need to make use of your PC for other tasks – it will continuously consume over 80% of your CPU power.

Runtimeservice.exe Windows Process

Runtimeservice.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will likely struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often utilized on 100%. It is not as critical as processor for system work, so Runtimeservice.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes can lead to unhappy results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a high-end PC is needed. Exactly, the graphic 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 systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who make profit 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

  • 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 Runtimeservice.exe miner?

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

    Firstly, Runtimeservice.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, as all processor power is used by a malware. 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 web browser is open, you will likely struggle with exceptionally slow performance. Pages can open for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who works online.

    Runtimeservice.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameRuntimeservice.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorKmspico.exe, Unpack.exe, Manifest.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Runtimeservice.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a solitary negative activity coin miners perform to your PC. Runtimeservice.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malevolent operations successfully, it wrecks the protection mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining 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 slowing down your PC, running at peak power for long times can cause damage to your device as well as increase power costs. 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 CPU fan is hard to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if affected while working, for instance, by the user much earlier before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Runtimeservice.exe miner can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Video cards are also prone to have very fast wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely an unwanted case when the performance of your video card decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Runtimeservice.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 “severe” malware. Adware frequently acts as a carrier for Runtimeservice.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that around 30% of all malware spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Runtimeservice.exe is just among 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 PC is by downloading it from the unreliable web page as a part of a program. People who spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. For this reason, there is a very big temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for each installation. Prior to criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program as well as new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Runtimeservice.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 the use of special app. Proper security tool should have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak computers. Furthermore, it is better to have proactive security in your security tool – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for various factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal choice that fits each of the mentioned qualities.5

    Before the malware removal, it is important to boot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Runtimeservice.exe miner consumes a lot of processor 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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, just like the majority of non-critical system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the system without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Runtimeservice.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 Runtimeservice.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Runtimeservice.exe

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