Xmreth.exe Virus (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Xmreth.exe executable file is related to a malicious program that can correctly be identified as a coin miner virus. That malware form utilizes your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, primarily – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your computer roughly unfunctional as a result of high CPU usage.

What is Xmreth.exe process?

Xmreth.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
Xmreth.exe Windows Process

Xmreth.exe – Very high CPU and GPU use

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

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

List of the typical coin miner symptoms

  • Extremely bad performance
  • CPU/GPU cooler fan creates a lot of noise
  • High temperature of the device (for laptops)
  • 80-90% consumption of CPU/GPU resources by an unknown process
  • Microsoft Defender is not working
  • How dangerous is the Xmreth.exe miner?

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

    First, Xmreth.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 needs, all it pays attention to is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until web browser is open, you will likely experience incredibly slow efficiency. Pages can open up for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a nightmare for a person that does a job online.

    Xmreth.exe Technical Summary.

    File Name Xmreth.exe
    Type Trojan Coin Miner
    Detection Name Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution Method Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behavior Xmrig99new.exe, Pua.msil, Top.exe
    Removal Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Xmreth.exe removal.

    “Visible” harm is not a solitary unpleasant thing coin miners do to your system. Xmreth.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your OS. To complete all malevolent functions effectively, it wrecks the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to prevent detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a ton of new notes – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious cryptomining network. All these changes shall be reverted to the initial state in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides slowing down your computer, running at peak level for long times can cause damage to your device and increase electricity costs. Hardware elements are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only when they are in a good shape.

    Small and covered CPU fan is hard to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if touched while working, for example, by the user much before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Xmreth.exe malware can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Graphic cards are also tend to have increased wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely an unwanted situation when the performance of your GPU plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Xmreth.exe coin miner virus?

    Coin miners are spread through different ways, but their main sources are malicious banners and programs from dubious sources
    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 site as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of well-known programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to earn money. For this reason, there is a very big lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for every setup. Prior to blaming these guys for hacking and also malware spreading, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid purchasing the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus program and new parts for your PC.

    How to remove the Xmreth.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.

    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 software, just like the majority of non-crucial system components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    References

    1. Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
    2. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.

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    About the author

    Robert Bailey

    Security engineer focused on malware behavior, removal workflows, and Windows hardening. Robert reviews threat articles for practical accuracy, checking detection names, symptoms, and cleanup steps before publication.

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