Shtirlitz.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Shtirlitz.exe process belongs to a malicious program that can correctly be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer roughly nonfunctional as a result of high CPU usage.
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What is Shtirlitz.exe process?

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

As I have actually pointed out in the previous paragraph, Shtirlitz.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file can be diverse, but the impacts are usually the identical. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware capacity of your personal computer to perform this operation. This malware doesn’t take note of the fact that you may want to use your device for other tasks – it will constantly use over 80% of your CPU power.

Shtirlitz.exe Windows Process

Shtirlitz.exe – Really high CPU and GPU use

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners additionally make use of GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will likely struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as vital as CPU for system work, so Shtirlitz.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It often may result in bad consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very strong desktop is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of dozens of GPUs to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks 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

  • Your device overheats (system unit/laptop body is very hot)
  • You are not able to open your apps or they are opening for ages
  • Unknown process is running in the background and consumes your PC resources
  • Windows Defender does not respond
  • How dangerous is the Shtirlitz.exe miner?

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

    Firstly, Shtirlitz.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, since all CPU power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your demands, all it focuses on is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely experience exceptionally sluggish efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person who does a job online.

    Shtirlitz.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameShtirlitz.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorDevice_detection.exe, Crypticerror.exe, Herthanmanils.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Shtirlitz.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a single bad activity coin miners do to your personal computer. Shtirlitz.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your OS. To complete all malevolent functions effectively, it ruins the protection features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a number of new notes – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be gone 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 power for long times may cause damage to your device and raise power bills. Hardware components are created to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Small and covered CPU cooling system is not very easy to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while running, for example, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Shtirlitz.exe miner can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have increased wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an unwanted case when the performance of your graphic card plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Shtirlitz.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 widespread malicious programs through “major” malware. Adware frequently functions as a carrier for Shtirlitz.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that around 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Shtirlitz.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 item on your computer is by downloading it from the unreliable web page as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. Thus, there is a very big lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for every installation. Before criticizing these individuals for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid purchasing 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 program as well as new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Shtirlitz.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 needs using special tool. Proper security tool must have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization even on weak computers. Furthermore, it is recommended to have proactive security in your protection tool – to halt the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these functions for different factors. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal option that fits each of the specified characteristics.5

    Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Shtirlitz.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU power, it is needed 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 software, along with 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 CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Shtirlitz.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 Shtirlitz.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Shtirlitz.exe

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