Srv.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Srv.exe process belongs to a malicious program that can accurately be defined as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware type uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer almost nonfunctional due to high CPU usage.
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What is Srv.exe process?

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

As I have actually specified earlier, Srv.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the .exe file may be diverse, but the effects are generally the same. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware capacity of your PC to conduct this operation. This virus doesn’t take note of the fact that you may need to make use of your device for other activities – it will constantly consume over 80% of your processor power.

Srv.exe Windows Process

Srv.exe – Really high CPU/GPU use

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally make use of GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as essential as CPU for system work, so Srv.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use it all. It often may result in unhappy results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining term means the activity 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 strong desktop is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of video cards to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ hardware 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 Srv.exe miner?

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

    Initially, Srv.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, since all processor power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your necessities, all it pays attention to is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely suffer from extremely slow efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who does a job online.

    Srv.exe Technical Summary.

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

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary unpleasant thing coin miners do to your personal computer. Srv.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To complete all malicious operations effectively, it ruins the protection features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a number of new entries – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be reverted to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your system’s performance, performing at peak power for a long period of time can cause damage to your device and increase power bills. Hardware elements are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Small and covered CPU cooling system is not very easy to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if touched while working, for instance, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Srv.exe miner can easily lead to GPU failure3. GPUs are also tend to have very fast wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely an unwanted case when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Srv.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 widespread malicious programs among “serious” malware. Adware sometimes functions as a carrier for Srv.exe malware injection: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that around 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Srv.exe is just one of them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    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 dubious site as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to make money. Therefore, there is a very big lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for every setup. Prior to criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus program and new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Srv.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 involves making use of special tool. Effective antivirus should have high performance at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak computers. Additionally, it is better to have proactive security in your protection tool – to halt the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these functions for various factors. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect option that fits all of the specified characteristics.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Srv.exe miner takes a lot of CPU capacity, 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.

    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 programs, just like the majority of non-critical system components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Srv.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 Srv.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Srv.exe

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