SrTasks.exe Windows Process: Is It Virus?

Srtasks.exe is a legitimate Windows system process responsible for handling System Restore tasks on the operating system. It is a critical component that helps protect the user’s data and restore their system to a previous state in case of an unexpected issue or problem.

If you notice high disk usage associated with the srtasks.exe process, it could indicate that the System Restore feature is currently running a task or creating a restore point, which requires a lot of system resources and can slow down the system.

In some cases, srtasks.exe high disk usage can also be caused by a corrupted system file or a malware infection that is masquerading as the legitimate system process. If this is the case, it is recommended to run a full system scan with a reputable antivirus or anti-malware software to detect and remove any potential threats.

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.

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To reduce srtasks.exe high disk usage caused by System Restore tasks, you can try disabling the feature temporarily or schedule it to run during off-peak hours. You can also try optimizing the system by freeing up disk space or upgrading hardware components to improve system performance.

What is SrTasks.exe process?

SrTasks.exe is a Windows system process responsible for handling System Restore tasks on the operating system.

However, cybercriminals may sometimes use the name of a legitimate process, such as srtasks.exe, to disguise their malware and evade detection. In this case, the malware could be a coin miner virus that is using the srtasks.exe name to conceal its malicious activity.

Srtasks.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU use

If you suspect that srtasks.exe is behaving abnormally or causing high CPU or disk usage, it is recommended to run a full system scan with a reputable antivirus or anti-malware software to detect and remove any potential threats. Additionally, you can monitor the process using the Task Manager or a system monitoring tool to identify any suspicious behavior or activity that could indicate malware infection.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining term means the action 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 strong desktop is needed. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of dozens of graphic cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” 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.¹

List of the typical coin miner symptoms

How dangerous is the Srtasks.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, Srtasks.exe malware makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, because all processor power is consumed 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 web browser is open, you will likely experience exceptionally slow efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any type of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person that works online.

Srtasks.exe Technical Summary.

“Visible” harm is not a single negative activity coin miners perform to your personal computer. Srtasks.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To perform all malevolent functions successfully, it ruins the protection features 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 number of new notes – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious cryptomining network. All these adjustments are about to be reverted to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.

Hardware effects of coin miner activity

Besides slowing down your computer, running at peak level for long times may trigger damage to your machine and raise power bills. Hardware components are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

Small and covered processor cooling system is not very easy to damage. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if touched while spinning, for example, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Srtasks.exe miner can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure². Video cards are also tend to have very fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely a bad 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 Srtasks.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 common malicious programs through “major” viruses. Adware sometimes works as a carrier for Srtasks.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that about 30% of all malware spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Srtasks.exe is just with them.

The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

Another way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the unreliable website as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to make money. Therefore, there is a huge temptation to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for every setup. Prior to blaming these guys 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 sum for antivirus program and new parts for your computer.

How to remove the Srtasks.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 demands using special app. Effective antivirus must have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage even on weak systems. On top of that, it is better to have proactive security in your protection solution – to stop the virus even before it launches. 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 purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb option that fits all of the specified characteristics.³

Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Srtasks.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU power, it is needed 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.

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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, just like the majority of non-crucial 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 the coin miner.

Remove Srtasks.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.

1. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
2. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
3. Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

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