Zeroconfigservice.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Zeroconfigservice.exe is a legitimate executable file that belongs to Intel ProSet/Wireless WiFi Software. This process provides seamless usage of Intel-made Wi-Fi chips, that are often used in high-end laptops and in some PC builds. However, its name may sometimes be used by coin miner malware.

By default, you will never spectate zeroconfigservice.exe to consume any notable share of your CPU power. But once it is a malicious copy, you will likely witness 80%+ load caused by this process only. Aside from that, the directory of the executable file is different. Thing is, most of users will not suspect a lot, seeing a legitimately-looking process in the Task Manager.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

When we talk about the intrusion of unfamiliar programs into your computer’s work, the proverb “Forewarned is forearmed” describes the situation as accurately as possible. Gridinsoft Anti-Malware is exactly the tool that is always useful to have in your armory: fast, efficient, up-to-date. It is appropriate to use it as an emergency help at the slightest suspicion of infection.

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What is Zeroconfigservice.exe process?

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

As I have actually mentioned in the previous paragraph, Zeroconfigservice.exe can potentially be a coin miner trojan. The most definite sign of malignant nature is high CPU load – typically over 80%. A genuine version of this process never needs so much CPU power, even on weak systems.

Zeroconfigservice.exe – Very high CPU and GPU use

Besides CPU utilization, you can also see if the process is malicious by the .exe file location. The genuine instance of zeroconfigservice.exe is C:\Program Files\Intel\WiFi. To check the file location of the process, click the one in the Task Manager with the right mouse button, and then the “Open file location” button in the dialog box. Other locations than the one I’ve mentioned mean malicious origins of the file.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrency mining term means the activity 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 PC is required. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptomining farms are usually constructed of dozens of GPUs to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “normal” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Crooks who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ hardware instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.¹

List of the typical coin miner symptoms

How dangerous is the Zeroconfigservice.exe miner?

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

Initially, Zeroconfigservice.exe malware makes your system overloaded. It is not able to run your applications now, since all CPU power is consumed 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 struggle with extremely slow performance. Pages can open up for years, any type of logins will take about a minute – just a horror story for a person who does a job online.

Zeroconfigservice.exe Technical Summary.

“Visible” harm is not a single unpleasant thing coin miners perform to your PC. Zeroconfigservice.exe coin miner also deals damage to your OS. To execute all malicious functions effectively, it wrecks the protection mechanisms of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to avoid detection. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a number 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 thrown back to the original in the process of system recovery.

Hardware effects of coin miner activity

Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak level for long times may trigger damage to your machine and raise power bills. PC elements are created to easily get along with high load, but they can do so only in case when they are in a good shape.

Little and well-protected CPU cooling system is not very easy to crack. Meanwhile, graphic cards have big and easy-to-access fans, which can be easily broke if affected while running, for example, by the user much earlier before the coin-miner injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Zeroconfigservice.exe can easily lead to GPU failure². Video cards are also tend to have fast wearing when utilized for crypto mining. It is surely a bad case when the performance of your graphic card plunges 20-30% just after 1-2 weeks of being used in such a way.

How did I get Zeroconfigservice.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 common malicious programs among “severe” viruses. Adware frequently functions as a carrier for Zeroconfigservice.exe malware infiltration: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that about 30% of all viruses spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and Zeroconfigservice.exe is just one of them.

The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

An additional way you could get this item on your computer is by downloading it from the suspicious website as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to get paid. Hence, there is a very big lure to add in malware to the final package of the hacked application and receive a coin for every installation. Prior to blaming these people for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it okay to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is more affordable to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much bigger figure for antivirus software and new parts for your computer.

How to remove the Zeroconfigservice.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 specific app. Appropriate anti-malware program must have high efficiency at scanning and be lightweight – in order to create no problems with usage even on weak PCs. On top of that, it is recommended to have proactive security in your protection tool – to halt the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for different factors. That’s why I’d recommend you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that purpose. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a perfect choice that fits all of the mentioned features.³

Prior to the malware removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Zeroconfigservice.exe miner consumes a lot of processor capacity, it is required to stop 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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party apps, along with the majority of non-critical operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That allows you to clean the system without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

Remove Zeroconfigservice.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.

1. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
2. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
3. Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

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