Safas2f.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Safas2f.exe process is related to a malevolent program that can properly be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware form uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer pretty much unfunctional as a result of high CPU use.
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What is Safas2f.exe process?

Safas2f.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have actually pointed out earlier, Safas2f.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the executive file may be diverse, however, the impacts are usually the same. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware power of your desktop to perform this procedure. This malware doesn’t care about the fact that you probably want to use your device for other tasks – it will constantly use over 80% of your processor power.

Safas2f.exe Windows Process

Safas2f.exe – Very high CPU as well as GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that situation, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Safas2f.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It often can cause bad results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful computer is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of GPUs to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “classic” 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

  • Extremely bad performance
  • CPU/GPU cooler fan creates a lot of noise
  • High temperature of the device (for laptops)
  • 80-90% consumption of CPU/GPU resources by an unknown process
  • Microsoft Defender is not working
  • How dangerous is the Safas2f.exe miner?

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

    Firstly, Safas2f.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, because all processor power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your necessities, all it focuses on is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely struggle with extremely sluggish performance. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that does a job online.

    Safas2f.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameSafas2f.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorLupservices.exe, Xmreth.exe, Xmrig99new.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Safas2f.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single bad activity coin miners perform to your PC. Safas2f.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malicious functions correctly, it wrecks the protection features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to avoid detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a load of new notes – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be reverted to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your computer slow, performing at peak power for a long period of time can cause damage to your device and increase power bills. Hardware elements 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 covered CPU fan is not very easy to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if affected while running, for example, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Safas2f.exe can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Graphic cards are also prone to have increased wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is likely an undesirable situation when the performance of your GPU decreases on 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Safas2f.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 through “serious” viruses. Adware sometimes functions as a carrier for Safas2f.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Safas2f.exe is just among 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 PC is by downloading it from the suspicious site as a part of a program. People that spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to earn money. Therefore, there is a very big lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for every installation. Prior to criticizing these people for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK 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 sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Safas2f.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 the use of specific app. Appropriate security tool should have high performance at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak computers. Furthermore, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your security tool – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for different reasons. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits all of the discussed features.5

    Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Safas2f.exe miner takes a lot of CPU power, 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 Windows 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 Safas2f.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 Safas2f.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Safas2f.exe

    Description: The Safas2f.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Safas2f.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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