Zecminer.exe executable file is related to a malicious program that can correctly be recognized as a coin miner virus. That malware form utilizes your PC components to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer roughly unfunctional due to high CPU utilization.
What is Zecminer.exe process?
Zecminer.exe is a malicious process created by coin miner virus
As I have actually pointed out before, Zecminer.exe is a coin miner virus. The names of the .exe file can be different, however, the impacts are generally the identical. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all available hardware power of your PC to conduct this operation. This malware does not pay attention to the fact that you may want to use your machine for other tasks – it will consistently take over 80% of your CPU power.
Zecminer.exe – Really high CPU/GPU use
Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also make use of GPU power for their tasks. In that instance, you will likely struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is usually utilized on 100%. It is not as important as processor for system work, so Zecminer.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use all of it. It often may lead to bad effects.
Shortly about cryptocurrency mining
Cryptocurrency mining means the operation of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a basic part of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a very strong PC is required. Exactly, the GPU 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 “classic” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Crooks who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ computers instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2
List of the typical coin miner symptoms
How dangerous is the Zecminer.exe miner?
Coin miners does not deal damage to your files. However, they make a lot of unpleasant things with the whole system
Firstly, Zecminer.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, because all CPU power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your wants, 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 suffer from incredibly sluggish efficiency. Pages can open for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a headache for a person that does a job online.
Zecminer.exe Technical Summary.
| File Name | Zecminer.exe |
| Type | Trojan Coin Miner |
| Detection Name | Trojan:Win32/CoinMiner |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc. |
| Similar behavior | 12.exe, Msiexec64.exe, Conhost.exe |
| Removal | Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Zecminer.exe removal. |
“Visible” harm is not a solitary bad activity coin miners do to your personal computer. Zecminer.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your OS. To carry out all malevolent operations successfully, it wrecks the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to prevent detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a number of new notes – they are added by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments shall be thrown back to the original in the process of system recovery.
Hardware effects of coin miner activity
Besides making your computer slow, running at peak level for a long period of time may cause damage to your device as well as increase power expenses. PC elements are designed to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.
Compact and covered processor cooling system is quite hard to crack. Meanwhile, GPUs have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while working, for example, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the really high load caused by Zecminer.exe malware can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Graphic cards are also prone to have very fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely an undesirable case when the performance of your graphic card plunges 20-30% only after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.
How did I get Zecminer.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 among “major” viruses. Adware sometimes serves as a carrier for Zecminer.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which have a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” can belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics say that about 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Zecminer.exe is right one of them.4
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 web page as a part of a program. Users that spread hacked versions of favored programs (which do not need the license key) have small chances to get paid. Thus, there is a very big lure to include malware to the final package of the hacked application and acquire a coin for every setup. Before criticizing these individuals for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater sum for antivirus program as well as new parts for your PC.
How to remove the Zecminer.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 the use of special tool. Effective security tool should have high performance at scanning and also be lightweight – in order to make no problems with utilization even on weak systems. Furthermore, it is recommended to have proactive protection in your security solution – to stop the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these elements for various factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that reason. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect option that fits all of the discussed qualities.5
Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Zecminer.exe miner takes a lot of processor power, it is required 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.
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 system is in Safe Mode, all third-party applications, just like the majority of non-crucial system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the computer without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.
Remove Zecminer.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.
After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.
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.
Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.
Remove Zecminer.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner
Name: Zecminer.exe
Description: The Zecminer.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Zecminer.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
User Review
( votes)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.
- Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
- Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
