Rx-switcher.exe executable file belongs to a malevolent application that can properly be defined as a coin miner virus. That malware type utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system pretty much nonfunctional as a result of high CPU use.
What is Rx-switcher.exe process?
Rx-switcher.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have mentioned in the previous paragraph, Rx-switcher.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file may be diverse, but the impacts are generally the identical. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware capacity of your PC to conduct this process. This malware does not take note of the fact that you probably want to use your system for other activities – it will consistently consume over 80% of your CPU power.
Rx-switcher.exe – Very high CPU as well as GPU use
Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as crucial as CPU for system work, so Rx-switcher.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use all of it. It often can lead to bad results.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a strong desktop is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of graphic cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Fraudsters who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ hardware instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Rx-switcher.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, Rx-switcher.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, because all CPU power is consumed by a malware. That malware does not care for your necessities, all it pays attention to is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from extremely sluggish efficiency. Pages will open for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who works online.
Rx-switcher.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Rx-switcher.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Lineinst.exe, Minerhash.exe, Zecminer64.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Rx-switcher.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary negative activity coin miners perform to your system. Rx-switcher.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To execute all malevolent functions properly, it wrecks the protection mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to avoid recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are added by this coin miner to connect your system to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes shall be reverted to the original in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides making your PC slow, running at peak power for a long period of time can trigger damage to your device and raise power bills. Hardware elements are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.
Small and well-protected CPU cooling system is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if touched while spinning, for instance, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Rx-switcher.exe malware can easily lead to GPU failure3. Graphic cards are also prone to have increased wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely a bad case when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Rx-switcher.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 common malevolent programs among “serious” malware. Adware sometimes serves as a carrier for Rx-switcher.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that approximately 30% of all malware spread through the malicious banners are coin miners – and Rx-switcher.exe is just one of them.4
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 dubious web page as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to make money. For this reason, there is a very big temptation to include malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for every installation. Prior to criticizing these guys for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program and new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Rx-switcher.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 demands making use of special tool. Appropriate anti-malware program should have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization also on weak systems. On top of that, it is better to have proactive security in your protection solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions for various reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal choice that fits all of the discussed characteristics.5
Before the malware removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Rx-switcher.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU power, 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.
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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, along with the majority of non-critical operating system components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
Remove Rx-switcher.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.
After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.
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.
Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.
Remove Rx-switcher.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Rx-switcher.exe
Description: The Rx-switcher.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Rx-switcher.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
User Review
( votes)References
- Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
- Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
- Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
- Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
