Vape_v4.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Vape_v4.exe process is related to a malevolent application that can accurately be identified as a coin miner trojan. That malware type utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, basically – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer pretty much nonfunctional as a result of high CPU usage.
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What is Vape_v4.exe process?

Vape_v4.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have mentioned in the previous paragraph, Vape_v4.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file may be diverse, however, the impacts are almost always the identical. Considering that coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware power of your PC to run this procedure. This malware does not care about the fact that you may want to make use of your device for other tasks – it will always take over 80% of your processor power.

Vape_v4.exe Windows Process

Vape_v4.exe – Very high CPU and GPU use

Besides CPU usage, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their tasks. In that situation, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as critical as processor for system work, so Vape_v4.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use all of it. It often can result in bad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very strong PC is required. Exactly, the video card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of tens and hundreds of GPUs to conduct their activity effectively. Such computer systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. 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

  • Microsoft Defender is stopped;
  • CPU and GPU is loaded at 80-90% exactly after the system start
  • Cooling fans are running at high speed and create a lot of noise
  • A single process in Task Manager consumes all CPU and GPU power
  • How dangerous is the Vape_v4.exe miner?

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

    Initially, Vape_v4.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, as all CPU power is consumed by a virus. That malware does not care for your wants, 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 sluggish performance. Pages will open for years, any type of logins will likely take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that works online.

    Vape_v4.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameVape_v4.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorRaconnn.exe, Lilin.exe, Askelp.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Vape_v4.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a single negative activity coin miners do to your personal computer. Vape_v4.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To execute all malevolent functions effectively, it wrecks the security components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts 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 cryptomining network. All these adjustments shall be gone back to the initial state in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your computer slow, performing at peak level for a long period of time can cause damage to your device as well as increase electricity expenses. PC components are created to easily deal with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

    Little and well-protected processor cooling system is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if affected while spinning, for instance, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Vape_v4.exe can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have very fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely a bad case when the performance of your video card decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Vape_v4.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 malevolent programs among “severe” viruses. Adware often acts as a carrier for Vape_v4.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” can belong to any type – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that approximately 30% of all viruses spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and Vape_v4.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 site as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to get paid. Thus, there is a huge temptation to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for each installation. Prior to blaming these individuals for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software as well as new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Vape_v4.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 involves the use of special software. Appropriate anti-malware program must have high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak systems. Additionally, it is better to have on-run security in your security solution – to halt the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender lacks these functions for different reasons. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits all of the specified features.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Vape_v4.exe miner consumes a lot of processor power, it is needed 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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party programs, along with the majority of non-crucial operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Vape_v4.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 Vape_v4.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Vape_v4.exe

    Description: The Vape_v4.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Vape_v4.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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