Taskmszn.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Taskmszn.exe executable file is related to a malicious program that can correctly be recognized as a coin miner trojan. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer pretty much unfunctional because of high CPU usage.
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What is Taskmszn.exe process?

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

As I have actually mentioned earlier, Taskmszn.exe is a coin miner trojan 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 PC to perform this operation. This virus doesn’t pay attention to the fact that you probably need to make use of your system for other activities – it will constantly consume over 80% of your processor power.

Taskmszn.exe Windows Process

Taskmszn.exe – Very high CPU/GPU use

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will likely struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often utilized on 100%. It is not as important as CPU for system work, so Taskmszn.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes may lead to unhappy results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining is a term that means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a strong machine is required. Exactly, the GPU is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who make profit 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

  • 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 Taskmszn.exe miner?

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

    First, Taskmszn.exe virus makes your PC 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 needs, all it focuses on is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from exceptionally slow performance. Pages can open for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person who works online.

    Taskmszn.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameTaskmszn.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior12.exe, Msiexec64.exe, Conhost.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Taskmszn.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary bad thing coin miners do to your system. Taskmszn.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your OS. To execute all malevolent functions effectively, it ruins the protection mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent recognition. 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 changes are about to be thrown back to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak level for long times can trigger damage to your device and raise power expenses. 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.

    Compact and well-protected processor fan is quite hard to broke. 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 coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Taskmszn.exe can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Graphic cards are also prone to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely a bad case when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Taskmszn.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 malicious programs through “severe” viruses. Adware sometimes acts as a carrier for Taskmszn.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that around 30% of all viruses spread through the malicious banners are coin miners – and Taskmszn.exe is just with them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    Another way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the dubious website as a part of a program. People who spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. Therefore, there is a huge lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and get a coin for each setup. Prior to criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid purchasing the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software as well as new parts for your desktop.

    How to remove the Taskmszn.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 specific software. Effective anti-malware program should have high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak PCs. On top of that, it is recommended to have on-run protection in your security solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions for different reasons. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb option that fits all of the discussed characteristics.5

    Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Taskmszn.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU capacity, 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 applications, just like the majority of non-critical operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the PC without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Taskmszn.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 Taskmszn.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Taskmszn.exe

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