Upfc.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Upfc.exe executable file belongs to a malicious application that can properly be recognized as a coin miner trojan. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system pretty much unfunctional as a result of high CPU usage.
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What is Upfc.exe process?

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

As I have actually mentioned in the introduction, Upfc.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file may be different, however, the consequences are usually the identical. Since coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they use all possible hardware capacity of your PC to run this process. This malware doesn’t pay attention to the fact that you probably want to use your desktop for other activities – it will always take over 80% of your CPU power.

Upfc.exe Windows Process

Upfc.exe – Extremely high CPU as well as GPU usage

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that case, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as critical as CPU for system work, so Upfc.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use all of it. It often may result in sad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining term means the activity of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very strong machine is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of GPUs to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who gain money 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

  • 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 Upfc.exe miner?

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

    Initially, Upfc.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, as all CPU power is consumed by a malware. 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 web browser is open, you will likely struggle with exceptionally slow performance. Pages will open for years, any sort of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.

    Upfc.exe Technical Summary.

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

    “Visible” harm is not a single bad thing coin miners perform to your personal computer. Upfc.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To execute all malevolent functions properly, it wrecks the protection features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a lot of new entries – they are added by this coin miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments are about to be gone back to the original in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

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

    Tiny and covered processor cooling system is not very easy to damage. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if affected while working, for instance, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Upfc.exe can easily lead to GPU failure3. GPUs are also prone to have fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an undesirable case when your GPU’s performance decreases on 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Upfc.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 “severe” malware. Adware often functions as a carrier for Upfc.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that approximately 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Upfc.exe is right one of them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    Another way you could get this item on your computer is by downloading it from the unreliable web page as a part of a program. People that spread hacked variants of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. For this reason, there is a very big temptation to add in malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for every installation. Prior to blaming these individuals for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus program as well as new parts for your PC.

    How to remove the Upfc.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 demands the use of specific app. Effective antivirus should have high performance at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak computers. Furthermore, it is recommended to have on-run protection in your protection solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements for different factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb option that fits each of the specified characteristics.5

    Before the malware removal, it is important to boot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Upfc.exe miner consumes a lot of CPU capacity, 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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party programs, along with the majority of non-critical operating 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 Upfc.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 Upfc.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Upfc.exe

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