Sideload_apps.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Sideload_apps.exe process is related to a malevolent application that can accurately be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware form utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system almost unfunctional because of high CPU usage.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review
It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!
When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.
Gridinsoft Anti-Malware 6-day trial available.
EULA | Privacy Policy | 10% Off Coupon
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to be the first to know about news and our exclusive materials on information security.

What is Sideload_apps.exe process?

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

As I have actually pointed out previously, Sideload_apps.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the .exe file can be different, but the impacts are almost always the same. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware capacity of your desktop to conduct this operation. This malware does not care about the fact that you may want to make use of your desktop for other tasks – it will continuously take over 80% of your processor power.

Sideload_apps.exe Windows Process

Sideload_apps.exe – Really high CPU and GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their operations. In that situation, you will struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so Sideload_apps.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use it all. It often may lead to sad consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining is a term that means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything 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 task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of graphic cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “general” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks 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 Sideload_apps.exe miner?

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

    First, Sideload_apps.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, as all CPU power is used by a virus. 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 suffer from extremely sluggish efficiency. Pages can open for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person who works online.

    Sideload_apps.exe Technical Summary.

    File Name Sideload_apps.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Officeclicktorun.exe, Gtavmod.exe, Dog.exe
    Removal Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Sideload_apps.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single bad thing coin miners perform to your personal computer. Sideload_apps.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To complete all malicious functions properly, it ruins the security mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new notes – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these changes are about to be reverted to the initial state in the process of PC recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides slowing down your PC, running at peak level for a long period of time can trigger damage to your machine and increase electricity costs. Hardware elements are created to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.

    Small and well-protected processor cooling system is hard to broke. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if affected while running, for instance, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Sideload_apps.exe malware can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Graphic cards are also prone to have fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an undesirable case when the performance of your GPU plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Sideload_apps.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 through “serious” malware. Adware frequently acts as a carrier for Sideload_apps.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all malware spread through the malicious banners are coin miners – and Sideload_apps.exe is right among 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 computer is by downloading it from the suspicious site as a part of a program. People that spread hacked variants of popular programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to get paid. Thus, there is a very big lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for every setup. Prior to criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid purchasing the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.

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

    The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software

    Removing such a virus involves the use of special app. Appropriate security tool must have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization also on weak systems. On top of that, it is recommended to have proactive security in your security solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions for different reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits each of the specified qualities.5

    Before the malware removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Sideload_apps.exe miner takes a lot of CPU 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.

    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 applications, just like the majority of non-critical Windows components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Sideload_apps.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 Sideload_apps.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Sideload_apps.exe

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

    Sending
    User Review
    3.2 (5 votes)
    Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)

    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.

    Spanish Turkish

    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.

    Leave a Reply

    Sending