System32.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
System32.exe executable file belongs to a malevolent program that can accurately be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer pretty much unfunctional as a result of high CPU use.
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What is System32.exe process?

System32.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have actually pointed out before, System32.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file may be different, however, the impacts are almost always the identical. Considering that coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware power of your PC to run this procedure. This virus doesn’t take note of the fact that you may want to use your machine for other tasks – it will always use over 80% of your processor power.

System32.exe Windows Process

System32.exe – Very high CPU as well as GPU use

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as important as processor for system work, so System32.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize all of it. It often can lead to sad results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency 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 action takes a lot of calculations, a very strong machine is required. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of video cards to conduct their activity effectively. Such systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. 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 System32.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, System32.exe malware makes your computer overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, as all CPU power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, all it pays attention to is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely experience exceptionally slow performance. Pages will open up for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person who does a job online.

    System32.exe Technical Summary.

    File Name System32.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Gpagent.exe, Windowsdefender.exe, Fish.exe
    Removal Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic System32.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary unpleasant activity coin miners do to your system. System32.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your operating system. To perform all malicious functions correctly, it wrecks the protection features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid recognition. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new notes – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be thrown back to the initial state in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your system’s performance, running at peak power for long times may cause damage to your machine and increase power expenses. PC components are designed to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Small and covered CPU cooling system is quite hard to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if affected while working, for example, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by System32.exe malware can easily lead to GPU failure3. GPUs are also prone to have increased wearing when used for crypto mining. It is likely a bad case when the performance of your graphic card decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get System32.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 malicious programs through “major” viruses. Adware sometimes serves as a carrier for System32.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that about 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and System32.exe is just among 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 computer is by downloading it from the dubious site as a part of a program. People who spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. For this reason, there is a very big lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for every setup. Before criticizing these guys for hacking and also malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid purchasing the program in this manner? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program and new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the System32.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 demands the use of special software. Effective antivirus should have high efficiency at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage also on weak systems. In addition, it is better to have proactive security in your protection tool – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for different reasons. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits each of the specified features.5

    Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since System32.exe miner takes a lot of processor 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 apps, along with the majority of non-crucial operating 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 System32.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 System32.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: System32.exe

    Description: The System32.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This System32.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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