Sgm.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Sgm.exe executable file comes from a malevolent application that can correctly be defined as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware type utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin. It makes your system pretty much unfunctional as a result of high CPU utilization.
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What is Sgm.exe process?

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

As I have actually pointed out in the previous paragraph, Sgm.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the .exe file can be different, however, the impacts are usually the same. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware capacity of your personal computer to run this procedure. This virus does not take note of the fact that you probably need to make use of your computer for other activities – it will consistently use over 80% of your processor power.

Sgm.exe Windows Process

Sgm.exe – Really high CPU as well as GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as critical as CPU for system work, so Sgm.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use it all. It often may lead to unhappy consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining term means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful machine is needed. Exactly, the video card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of dozens of GPUs to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who gain money via Sgm.exe coin miner use someones’ computers instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.1

List of the typical Sgm.exe 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 Sgm.exe miner?

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

    Firstly, Sgm.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, since all processor power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your wants, all it focuses on is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely struggle with extremely sluggish efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.

    Sgm.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameSgm.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorMirrexor.exe, Nesopala.exe, Msoia.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Sgm.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single unpleasant activity coin miners do to your PC. Sgm.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To carry out all malevolent functions effectively, it wrecks 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 lot of new entries – they are added by Sgm.exe coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be reverted to the initial state in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your system’s performance, running at peak power for a long period of time may trigger damage to your machine as well as raise electricity expenses. PC elements are designed to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Small and covered CPU cooling system is hard to broke. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if affected while working, for instance, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Sgm.exe miner can easily lead to GPU failur2. Video cards are also tend to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely a bad situation when {your GPU’s performance|the performance of your GPU plunges 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Sgm.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 sometimes serves as a carrier for Sgm.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that around 30% of all malware spread through the malicious banners are coin miners – and Sgm.exe is just with them.3

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    One more way you could get this item on your PC is by downloading it from the untrustworthy website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to get paid. Hence, there is a huge temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for each installation. Prior to blaming these guys for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid buying the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Sgm.exe miner from my PC?

    The best way to get rid of Sgm.exe virus is to use anti-malware software

    Eliminating such a virus requires making use of special program. Effective anti-malware program must have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage also on weak PCs. Additionally, it is recommended to have proactive security in your protection tool – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements for different reasons. That’s why I ‘d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits each of the specified features.4

    Before the virus removal, it is important to boot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Sgm.exe miner takes 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.

    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 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 gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of Sgm.exe miner process.

    Remove Sgm.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 trial license

    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 Sgm.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Sgm.exe

    Description: The Sgm.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Sgm.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. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
    2. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
    3. Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
    4. 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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