Svhost.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Svhost.exe executable file is related to a malicious program that can correctly be identified as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware type utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system almost unusable as a result of high CPU utilization.
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What is Svhost.exe process?

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

As I have mentioned before, Svhost.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file can be diverse, however, the impacts are almost always the same. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware power of your PC to perform this procedure. This virus does not care about the fact that you may need to use your PC for other activities – it will consistently consume over 80% of your processor power.

Svhost.exe Windows Process

Svhost.exe – Really high CPU as well as GPU usage

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will likely struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as essential as processor for system work, so Svhost.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes may cause unhappy consequences.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining is a term that means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a strong computer is needed. Exactly, the video card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters 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

  • 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 Svhost.exe miner?

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

    Initially, Svhost.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, because all processor power is used by a malware. 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 browser is open, you will likely suffer from exceptionally slow efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any sort of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person who does a job online.

    Svhost.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameSvhost.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorZx.exe, Instnm.exe, Ppktwoddyhk.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Svhost.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary unpleasant activity coin miners do to your system. Svhost.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To complete all malevolent functions correctly, it wrecks the security components 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 load of new entries – they are added by this coin miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments shall be thrown back to the initial state in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, running at peak level for a long period of time may cause damage to your device and increase electricity costs. Hardware components are designed to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Small and well-protected CPU cooling system is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while working, for example, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Svhost.exe malware can easily lead to graphic card failure3. GPUs are also prone to have very fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely a bad case when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Svhost.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 malevolent programs through “serious” viruses. Adware sometimes works as a carrier for Svhost.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that approximately 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Svhost.exe is right one of them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    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 unreliable website 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 make money. For this reason, there is a huge lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for each installation. Before criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid purchasing 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 program as well as new parts for your PC.

    How to remove the Svhost.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 needs making use of special program. Appropriate antivirus should have high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak systems. In addition, it is recommended to have proactive security in your protection tool – to halt the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for various reasons. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits each of the mentioned characteristics.5

    Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Svhost.exe miner takes a lot of CPU power, it is needed 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.

    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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party programs, just like the majority of non-critical system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Svhost.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 Svhost.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Svhost.exe

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