XandETC.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
XandETC.exe process belongs to a malevolent program that can accurately be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware type utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer roughly nonfunctional as a result of high CPU usage.
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What is XandETCprocess?

XandETCis a malicious process created by coin miner virus

As I have actually specified before, XandETC.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file can be different. However, the consequences are generally identical. Considering that coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware power of your personal computer to run this process. This virus doesn’t note that you probably want to use your device for other tasks – it will continuously use over 80% of your processor power.

XandETC.exe Windows Process

XandETC.exe – Extremely high CPU/GPU usage

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners also utilize GPU power for their operations. In that situation, you will probably struggle even to see the mouse cursor moving – GPU is usually used on 100%. It is not as critical as the processor for system work, so XandETC.exe coin miner viruses do not waste time on trifles and use all of it. It sometimes can cause unhappy results.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic element of anything based on blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very powerful PC is required. The GPU is better for this purpose because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of graphic cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who make a profit via this coin miner use someone’s PCs instead, even if they are used for 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 Xandetc.exe miner?

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

    Initially, Xandetc.exe virus makes your computer overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, since all CPU power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your needs, all it pays attention to is making money on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely suffer from exceptionally sluggish performance. Pages will open up for years, any sort of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person that works online.

    Xandetc.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameXandetc.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorIe4uinit.exe, Bdeunlock.exe, Bdehdcfg.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Xandetc.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a single negative activity coin miners do to your computer. Xandetc.exe coin miner also deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malevolent functions correctly, it wrecks the security components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new entries – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes are about to be gone back to the initial state in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides decreasing your computer’s performance, performing at peak level for long times may cause damage to your machine as well as raise power bills. Hardware elements are designed to easily get along with high load, but they are good with it only when they are in a good shape.

    Tiny and covered CPU cooling system is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if touched while running, for example, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Xandetc.exe can easily lead to GPU failure3. Video cards are also tend to have very fast wearing when utilized for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely a bad case when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being exploited in such a way.

    How did I get Xandetc.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 one of the most prevalent malicious programs through “serious” viruses. Adware sometimes functions as a carrier for Xandetc.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which contain a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics say that about 30% of all malware spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and Xandetc.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 untrustworthy website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to earn money. Hence, there is a very big lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked app and receive a coin for each installation. Before blaming these individuals for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software and new parts for your PC.

    How to remove the Xandetc.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 program. Effective anti-malware program must have high performance at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to create no problems with utilization even on weak systems. In addition, it is better to have proactive security in your security tool – to halt the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for various reasons. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb choice that fits all of the mentioned characteristics.5

    Prior to the malware removal, it is important to boot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Xandetc.exe miner consumes 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 software, along with the majority of non-crucial 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 Xandetc.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 Xandetc.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Xandetc.exe

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