Swup.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

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

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

As I have actually pointed out in the introduction, Swup.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the executive file can be diverse, however, the consequences are almost always the identical. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware power of your personal computer to run this procedure. This malware does not pay attention to the fact that you may need to use your system for other activities – it will always use over 80% of your processor power.

Swup.exe Windows Process

Swup.exe – Very high CPU/GPU use

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their tasks. In that situation, you will likely struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as important as CPU for system work, so Swup.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It often may result in bad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto 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 high-end 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 systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. 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 Swup.exe miner?

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

    First of all, Swup.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, because all processor power is consumed by a malware. 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 experience exceptionally sluggish performance. Pages will open for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person who does a job online.

    Swup.exe Technical Summary.

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

    “Visible” harm is not a solitary unpleasant thing coin miners perform to your computer. Swup.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To conduct all malicious functions properly, it ruins the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent 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 PC to a malicious mining network. All these changes are about to be gone back to the original in the process of PC recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your computer slow, performing at peak level for long times may trigger damage to your machine and raise electricity bills. PC components are designed to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Little and covered CPU cooling system is hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while working, for instance, by the user much earlier before the virus injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Swup.exe can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Video cards are also prone to have fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an unwanted case when the performance of your graphic card decreases on 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Swup.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 malevolent programs among “serious” malware. Adware frequently serves as a carrier for Swup.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that about 30% of all malware spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Swup.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 PC is by downloading it from the unreliable website as a part of a program. People 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 every installation. Prior to blaming these guys for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus software and new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Swup.exe miner from my PC?

    The best way to get rid of this coin miner virus is to use anti-malware software

    Removing such a virus requires making use of special app. Proper antivirus should have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage also on weak computers. Additionally, it is recommended to have on-run security in your protection solution – to halt the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions 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 an ideal option that fits each of the mentioned qualities.5

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

    Remove Swup.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 Swup.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Swup.exe

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