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.
What is XandETCprocess?
XandETCis a malicious process created by coin miner virus
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
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 Name | Xandetc.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | Ie4uinit.exe, Bdeunlock.exe, Bdehdcfg.exe |
| Removal | Download 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
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
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.
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.
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.
References
- Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
- Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
- About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
Leave a Comment