Setup.rar.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Setup.rar.exe executable file is related to a harmful application that can correctly be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware form utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system pretty much unusable due to high CPU utilization.
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What is Setup.rar.exe process?

Setup.rar.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have actually pointed out before, Setup.rar.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file can be different, but the consequences are almost always the same. Since coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware power of your desktop to perform this process. This virus does not care about the fact that you probably need to make use of your system for other tasks – it will consistently use over 80% of your CPU power.

Setup.rar.exe Windows Process

Setup.rar.exe – Really high CPU as well as GPU use

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as important as processor for system work, so Setup.rar.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use it all. It sometimes may cause unhappy consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining term means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very strong computer is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds 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

  • 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 Setup.rar.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, Setup.rar.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, as all CPU power is consumed by a malware. That malware does not care for your necessities, all it pays attention to is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from exceptionally slow efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any type of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who works online.

    Setup.rar.exe Technical Summary.

    File Name Setup.rar.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Es4.runtask, Videos.exe, Setup2.exe
    Removal Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Setup.rar.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a solitary bad thing coin miners perform to your system. Setup.rar.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To complete all malevolent operations successfully, it ruins the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a load of new entries – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes are about to be gone back to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak level for long times may cause damage to your machine and increase power costs. PC components are designed to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Small and well-protected processor fan is not very easy to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while working, for example, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Setup.rar.exe malware can easily lead to GPU failure3. GPUs are also tend to have fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an undesirable case when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Setup.rar.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 common malicious programs among “severe” malware. Adware often functions as a carrier for Setup.rar.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that approximately 30% of all malware spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Setup.rar.exe is just with 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 suspicious web page as a part of a program. People who spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to make money. Hence, there is a huge temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for each installation. Before criticizing these guys for hacking and also 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 one time than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus software and new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Setup.rar.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 needs using specific app. Proper anti-malware program should have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization also on weak systems. In addition, it is better to have on-run security in your security solution – to halt the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for different reasons. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits all of the mentioned characteristics.5

    Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Setup.rar.exe miner consumes a lot of processor 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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, along with the majority of non-crucial operating system components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the system without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Setup.rar.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 Setup.rar.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Setup.rar.exe

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