Vmwp.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Vmwp.exe executable file comes from a harmful application that can properly be identified as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your system roughly unusable as a result of high CPU use.
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What is Vmwp.exe process?

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

As I have actually specified previously, Vmwp.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the executive file may be diverse, however, the impacts are usually the identical. Since coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware power of your desktop to run this procedure. This malware does not take note of the fact that you may want to use your PC for other activities – it will always use over 80% of your processor power.

Vmwp.exe Windows Process

Vmwp.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will likely struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as critical as CPU for system work, so Vmwp.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes may lead to sad results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the activity 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 strong machine is required. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, 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 “general” 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

  • 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 Vmwp.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, Vmwp.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, as all processor power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your necessities, all it pays attention to is generating income on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely experience exceptionally sluggish efficiency. Pages will open up for years, any sort of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.

    Vmwp.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameVmwp.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorVmcompute.exe, Uihost.exe, Mbamservice.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Vmwp.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a solitary negative activity coin miners perform to your personal computer. Vmwp.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To perform all malevolent operations effectively, it ruins the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a number of new entries – they are brought in by this trojan miner to connect your computer to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes shall be gone back to the original in the process of PC recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides slowing down your computer, performing at peak level for long times may cause damage to your machine as well as raise electricity costs. PC elements are designed to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.

    Compact and covered CPU cooling system is not very easy to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while running, for example, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the extremely high load caused by Vmwp.exe can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Video cards are also tend to have increased wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely a bad situation when the performance of your graphic card decreases on 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Vmwp.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” viruses. Adware sometimes works as a carrier for Vmwp.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that about 30% of all viruses spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Vmwp.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 thing on your PC is by downloading it from the untrustworthy website as a part of a program. People that spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. Hence, there is a huge lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for every installation. Before blaming these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, 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 bigger sum for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.

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

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

    Eliminating such a virus demands making use of special software. Proper security tool should have high capability at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization also on weak PCs. Furthermore, it is recommended to have proactive security in your protection solution – to stop the virus even before it launches. 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 reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great choice that fits all of the mentioned features.5

    Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Vmwp.exe miner takes a lot of CPU 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 computer is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, just like the majority of non-critical system components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the PC without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Vmwp.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 Vmwp.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Vmwp.exe

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