Wmpemgr.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Wmpemgr.exe executable file belongs to a malicious application that can accurately be recognized as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware form uses your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer roughly unusable as a result of high CPU utilization.
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What is Wmpemgr.exe process?

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

As I have actually mentioned before, Wmpemgr.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file may be diverse, but the impacts are almost always the same. Since coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware power of your PC to conduct this process. This malware does not pay attention to the fact that you probably need to make use of your PC for other tasks – it will continuously take over 80% of your CPU power.

Wmpemgr.exe Windows Process

Wmpemgr.exe – Extremely high CPU as well as GPU use

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally use GPU power for their operations. In that instance, you will likely struggle also to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as essential as processor for system work, so Wmpemgr.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use it all. It often can result in sad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a strong machine is needed. Exactly, the video card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms usually consist of dozens of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “normal” 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 Wmpemgr.exe miner?

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

    Initially, Wmpemgr.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications anymore, since all CPU power is consumed 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 struggle with extremely slow efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any sort of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.

    Wmpemgr.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameWmpemgr.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorDhcpsvchostdllcommon.exe, Microsoftconhost.exe, Temp.working
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Wmpemgr.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a solitary negative activity coin miners do to your PC. Wmpemgr.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your operating system. To carry out all malevolent functions successfully, it ruins the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a load of new entries – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your system to a malicious mining network. All these changes shall be reverted to the original in the process of computer recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your PC’s performance, performing at peak power for long times may cause damage to your machine as well as increase power costs. Hardware components are created 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 covered processor cooling system is hard to broke. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if affected while spinning, for example, by the user much earlier before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Wmpemgr.exe miner can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have very fast wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely an undesirable case when the performance of your graphic card decreases on 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Wmpemgr.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 malevolent programs among “major” viruses. Adware often works as a carrier for Wmpemgr.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – yet another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that approximately 30% of all malware spread with the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Wmpemgr.exe is just 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 PC is by downloading it from the suspicious web page as a part of a program. People who spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. Thus, there is a huge lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for each installation. Before criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright 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 and new parts for your PC.

    How to remove the Wmpemgr.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 requires using specific program. Appropriate security tool must have high performance at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization also on weak computers. Additionally, it is better to have proactive security in your security tool – to halt the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these elements for various factors. That’s why I’d suggest you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is an ideal option that fits each of the specified features.5

    Prior to the virus removal, it is important to reboot your system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Wmpemgr.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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, just like the majority of non-crucial Windows components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the PC without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Wmpemgr.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 Wmpemgr.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Wmpemgr.exe

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