Settings.exe executable file comes from a malevolent application that can properly be defined as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware type uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system almost unfunctional because of high CPU utilization.
What is Settings.exe process?
Settings.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have mentioned in the introduction, Settings.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the .exe file can be diverse, but the impacts are generally the identical. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware capacity of your PC to conduct this procedure. This virus does not pay attention to the fact that you probably want to make use of your system for other tasks – it will constantly take over 80% of your CPU power.
Settings.exe – Extremely high CPU and GPU use
Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Settings.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use all of it. It often may cause unhappy effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining term means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a strong machine is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of dozens of GPUs to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters 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
How dangerous is the Settings.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
First of all, Settings.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, as all CPU power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your demands, 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 experience incredibly sluggish performance. Pages will open up for years, any kind of logins will take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that works online.
Settings.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Settings.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Microsofthost.exe, Appmodule.exe, Msn.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Settings.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a single negative thing coin miners do to your personal computer. Settings.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To carry out all malevolent functions correctly, it ruins the protection 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 number of new notes – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your computer to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be thrown back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides slowing down your computer, performing at peak level for long times may trigger damage to your machine and raise electricity costs. PC components are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Tiny and covered processor cooling system is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if affected while running, for instance, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Settings.exe miner can easily lead to GPU failure3. GPUs are also tend to have very fast wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely an unwanted situation when the performance of your video card plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.
How did I get Settings.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 prevalent malevolent programs among “major” viruses. Adware sometimes serves as a carrier for Settings.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that about 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Settings.exe is just with them.4
The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet
Another way you could get this item on your computer is by downloading it from the unreliable web page as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to get paid. Thus, there is a very big lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for each setup. Before criticizing these people for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus software as well as new parts for your PC.
How to remove the Settings.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 specific program. Effective antivirus must have high efficiency at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak PCs. Additionally, it is recommended to have on-run protection in your security solution – to halt the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions for various reasons. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb option that fits each of the specified characteristics.5
Before the malware removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Settings.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.
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-critical operating 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 Settings.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 Settings.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Settings.exe
Description: The Settings.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Settings.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.
