What is xmrig.exe?
xmrig.exe is a process that belongs to the XMRig CPU miner. If you notice it running in your Task Manager, you have a cryptocurrency miner software installed on your computer. It’s not the most malicious malware you can get, but it’s certainly not something you want to have installed, unless you did it yourself. People mining cryptocurrency might choose to use the XMRig CPU miner for themselves, and that is perfectly okay.
However, the miner is also installed on users’ computers without their permission, which qualifies it as malware. If it’s installed, it would use the computer’s resources to mine for cryptocurrency, which would severely affect its performance. This makes cryptominers very noticeable infections. The computer will slow down and act sluggish, while programs will take a long time to load. If you’re not using it yourself, we suggest you delete xmrig.exe immediately.
How did it end up on your computer?
Users usually end up downloading miners accidentally. They might be attached to freeware as extra offers, using the bundling method. In order to avoid installing something this way, you need to pay attention to how you install freeware programs. Make sure you choose Advanced (Custom) settings during installation, and once added offers become visible, deselect them. After you uncheck the boxes, you can continue installing the freeware.
Cryptominers can also be downloaded by Trojans, which means if you have this miner installed, you might also have the Trojan. Trojans can be obtained via spam email attachments or fake downloads. Emails containing miners can look completely legitimate, with senders even pretending to be from real companies, thus it’s not exactly surprising that users open them. However, it’s always suggested to scan attached files with anti-malware software before opening them. This would ensure that they are safe and you wouldn’t need to worry when opening them.
And if you want to avoid getting Trojans via fake downloads, only download programs and updates from legitimate/official websites. If you use random ads or sites for your downloads, you’re just asking for trouble.
What does it do?
In order to mine for cryptocurrency, a lot of computer resources are necessary. To make more profit, cyber crooks opt to infect users’ computers and use their resources for mining, which makes it a very noticeable infection. If you have miner malware, you device will act sluggish and programs will crash. Mining does not exactly harm the computer but because it’s performance is affected very negatively, you best get rid of such infections right away.
If your computer is showing signs of hosting mining malware, there is a simple way to make sure. Open your Task Manager (or Activity Monitor if you’re a Mac OS user) and look for processes using a lot of your computer’s CPU. Up to 20% is nothing unusual when a program is performing some action, but if you notice more than 70%, that is a clear sign of a cryptominer. If you leave it running for a longer period of time, your CPU’s lifespan might shorten. Therefore, if you notice it on your computer, uninstall xmrig.exe.
xmrig.exe removal
You will likely need to install anti-malware software to get rid of the infection. Unless you know exactly what you are doing, you shouldn’t try manual elimination because you could cause additional damage. Instead, use anti-malware software to remove xmrig.exe.
If you have anti-malware installed, this is how it may identify xmrig.exe:
- PUA:Win32/CoinMiner
- Trojan:Win32/Coinminer!bit
- SecurityRisk.gen1
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