Smassvc.exe process is related to a malicious application that can correctly be defined as a coin miner virus. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer almost nonfunctional because of high CPU utilization.
What is Smassvc.exe process?
Smassvc.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have actually mentioned earlier, Smassvc.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file can be different, however, the effects are generally the same. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all available hardware capacity of your desktop to conduct this operation. This malware does not pay attention to the fact that you probably need to use your system for other activities – it will continuously use over 80% of your CPU power.
Smassvc.exe – Really high CPU and GPU use
Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as critical as processor for system work, so Smassvc.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use it all. It often can cause sad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very strong machine is needed. Exactly, the video card 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 browsing the Web. 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
How dangerous is the Smassvc.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
Initially, Smassvc.exe virus makes your system overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, as all CPU power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your demands, all it pays attention to is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely suffer from incredibly sluggish performance. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that does a job online.
Smassvc.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Smassvc.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Travel.exe, Gallery.exe, Izteys.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Smassvc.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary bad thing coin miners perform to your computer. Smassvc.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To execute all malevolent operations effectively, it wrecks the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments are about to be gone back to the original in the process of computer recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides decreasing your system’s performance, running at peak level for a long period of time can trigger damage to your device and increase electricity costs. Hardware elements are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Little and covered processor cooling system is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while running, for instance, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Smassvc.exe miner can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Video cards are also tend to have very fast wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely an undesirable case when the performance of your graphic card plunges 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Smassvc.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 acts as a carrier for Smassvc.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that around 30% of all malware spread through the malicious banners are coin miners – and Smassvc.exe is right one of them.4
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 untrustworthy web page as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. For this reason, there is a huge lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and acquire a coin for each installation. Before blaming these people for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.
How to remove the Smassvc.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 demands making use of specific app. Effective antivirus must have high performance at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization even on weak systems. In addition, it is better to have proactive security in your security tool – to prevent the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for various reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits all of the specified qualities.5
Prior to the malware removal, it is important to boot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Smassvc.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.
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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, just like the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.
Remove Smassvc.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 Smassvc.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Smassvc.exe
Description: The Smassvc.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Smassvc.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.
