Strongix.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Strongix.exe executable file comes from a harmful application that can properly be recognized as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware type uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system almost nonfunctional as a result of high CPU use.
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What is Strongix.exe process?

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

As I have actually pointed out before, Strongix.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the .exe file can be different, but the effects are almost always the same. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware power of your desktop to conduct this process. This malware doesn’t pay attention to the fact that you may want to use your computer for other tasks – it will continuously consume over 80% of your processor power.

Strongix.exe Windows Process

Strongix.exe – Really high CPU as well as GPU use

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as essential as CPU for system work, so Strongix.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It often can result in sad consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining term means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful desktop is needed. Exactly, the video card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of GPUs to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Crooks who gain money 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

  • 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 Strongix.exe miner?

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

    First, Strongix.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, as all processor power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your demands, 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 struggle with extremely slow efficiency. Pages can open for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who works online.

    Strongix.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameStrongix.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorK.exe, Kun.exe, Oko.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Strongix.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a solitary unpleasant activity coin miners do to your system. Strongix.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your OS. To complete all malicious functions successfully, it wrecks the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new entries – they are added by this trojan miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these changes are about to be thrown back to the initial state in the process of PC recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides slowing down your PC, running at peak power for long times may cause damage to your machine as well as increase electricity expenses. Hardware components are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Tiny and covered processor fan is not very easy to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while running, for instance, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Strongix.exe malware can easily lead to GPU failure3. Video cards are also prone to have fast wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is likely a bad situation when the performance of your GPU plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Strongix.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 prevalent malicious programs through “major” viruses. Adware frequently acts as a carrier for Strongix.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that approximately 30% of all malware spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Strongix.exe is just one of them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    An additional 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 variants of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. Thus, there is a huge temptation to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for each installation. Before blaming these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid paying for the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program and new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Strongix.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 using special program. Effective anti-malware program should have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage even on weak PCs. On top of that, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your protection solution – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these features 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 perfect choice that fits all of the specified features.5

    Before the virus removal, it is important to boot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Strongix.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU power, 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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, just like the majority of non-crucial system components, are not started with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Strongix.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 Strongix.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Strongix.exe

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