Stak64.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Stak64.exe executable file comes from a harmful application that can correctly be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer roughly unusable as a result of high CPU usage.
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What is Stak64.exe process?

Stak64.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have actually specified before, Stak64.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file can be different, however, the impacts are almost always the identical. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware capacity of your desktop to run this procedure. This virus doesn’t take note of the fact that you may need to make use of your system for other activities – it will continuously take over 80% of your CPU power.

Stak64.exe Windows Process

Stak64.exe – Very high CPU as well as GPU use

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often utilized on 100%. It is not as crucial as CPU for system work, so Stak64.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes can result in sad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a strong PC is required. 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 systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who gain money 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

  • Extremely bad performance
  • CPU/GPU cooler fan creates a lot of noise
  • High temperature of the device (for laptops)
  • 80-90% consumption of CPU/GPU resources by an unknown process
  • Microsoft Defender is not working
  • How dangerous is the Stak64.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, Stak64.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, as all processor power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your needs, all it pays attention to is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely experience incredibly sluggish efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who works online.

    Stak64.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameStak64.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorPerfmon.exe, Nvsphelper64.exe, Nvwmi64.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Stak64.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a single unpleasant thing coin miners perform to your PC. Stak64.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your operating system. To complete all malevolent functions effectively, it wrecks the protection 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 lot of new notes – they are added by this coin miner to connect your system to a malicious mining 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 slowing down your computer, performing at peak level for long times can cause damage to your device and raise power bills. Hardware components are designed to easily deal with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Tiny and covered processor cooling system is hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily cracked if touched while working, for instance, by the user much before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Stak64.exe malware can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have increased wearing when used for crypto mining. It is surely an undesirable case when the performance of your graphic card plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Stak64.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 malevolent programs through “severe” malware. Adware often serves as a carrier for Stak64.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Stak64.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 item on your PC is by downloading it from the dubious site as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not demand 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 get a coin for each setup. Before blaming these people for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Stak64.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 involves the use of specific app. Effective antivirus must have high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization even on weak systems. In addition, it is recommended to have proactive security in your security solution – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements 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 each of the mentioned features.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Stak64.exe miner takes a lot of CPU capacity, it is required 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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, just like the majority of non-critical system 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 Stak64.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 Stak64.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Stak64.exe

    Description: The Stak64.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Stak64.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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