Ghozi_dark.exe Virus ⛏️ (Coin Miner Trojan) Removal

Written by Robert Bailey
Ghozi_dark.exe process comes from a harmful application that can properly be identified as a coin miner trojan virus. That malware type uses your hardware to mine cryptocurrencies, generally – Monero or DarkCoin1. It makes your personal computer almost unusable as a result of high CPU usage.
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What is Ghozi_dark.exe process?

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

As I have mentioned in the previous paragraph, Ghozi_dark.exe is a coin miner trojan virus. The names of the executive file can be different, however, the effects are usually the same. Because coin miners focus on cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware power of your personal computer to conduct this procedure. This malware doesn’t pay attention to the fact that you probably want to use your PC for other activities – it will consistently use over 80% of your CPU power.

Ghozi_dark.exe Windows Process

Ghozi_dark.exe – Really high CPU/GPU use

Besides CPU utilization, some of the coin miners additionally utilize GPU power for their operations. In that situation, you will probably struggle also to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as vital as processor for system work, so Ghozi_dark.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and use all of it. It sometimes can cause sad effects.

Shortly about cryptocurrency mining

Crypto mining means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral element of any project based on the blockchain technology. Since this action takes a lot of calculations, a very strong computer is needed. Exactly, the GPU is better for this purpose, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms usually consist of dozens of video cards to complete their task efficiently. Such computer systems are not usable for “classic” purposes, like gaming or browsing the Web. Fraudsters who gain money via this coin miner use someones’ hardware instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2

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 Ghozi_dark.exe miner?

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

    Initially, Ghozi_dark.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications anymore, because all processor power is used by a virus. That malware does not care for your demands, all it focuses on 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 for years, any kind of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person who does a job online.

    Ghozi_dark.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameGhozi_dark.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorMufusiso.exe, Vmmem.exe, Novpop.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Ghozi_dark.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary unpleasant thing coin miners do to your PC. Ghozi_dark.exe coin miner likewise deals damage to your operating system. To conduct all malevolent functions successfully, it wrecks the protection components of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware stops it to avoid detection. If you open the HOSTS file, you will likely see a load of new entries – they are added by this coin miner to connect your PC to a malicious mining network. All these adjustments shall be thrown back to the initial state in the process of system recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

    Besides making your PC slow, performing at peak power for a long period of time can cause damage to your device and increase power bills. 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.

    Small and covered processor cooling system is quite hard to broke. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily cracked if touched while working, for instance, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the very high load caused by Ghozi_dark.exe can easily lead to graphic card failure3. Video cards are also prone to have fast wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is surely an undesirable situation when your GPU’s performance plunges 20-30% only after several weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Ghozi_dark.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 malevolent programs through “severe” viruses. Adware sometimes functions as a carrier for Ghozi_dark.exe malware infiltration: it shows you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Sure, this abstract “malware” may belong to any type – an additional adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. But the statistics show that approximately 30% of all viruses spread through the malevolent banners are coin miners – and Ghozi_dark.exe is just with them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    One more way you could get this thing on your PC is by downloading it from the untrustworthy web page as a part of a program. Users who spread hacked variants of favored programs (which do not demand the license key) have small chances to earn money. Hence, there is a huge lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for each setup. Before blaming these people for hacking and malware spreading, ask yourself – is it OK to avoid paying for the program in this manner? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 one time than to pay a much bigger sum for antivirus program and new parts for your computer.

    How to remove the Ghozi_dark.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 demands making use of special app. Proper antivirus must have high performance 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 on-run protection in your protection solution – to stop the virus even before it launches. Microsoft Defender lacks these features for different factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that goal. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a superb option that fits all of the specified characteristics.5

    Before the virus removal, it is important to boot your operating system into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Ghozi_dark.exe miner consumes a lot of processor power, it is needed 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.

    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 PC is in Safe Mode, all third-party software, just like the majority of non-crucial operating system components, are not started with the system start. That allows you to clean the system without dealing with high processor usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Ghozi_dark.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.

    GridinSoft Anti-Malware free trial

    After activating your free trial, start Full scan. It may last up to 10 minutes. You may use the PC as usual.

    Scanning in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

    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.

    GridinSoft Anti-Malware after the scan process

    Now, you are good to go. Reboot your PC into a normal Windows mode and use just as there was nothing malicious.

    Remove Ghozi_dark.exe Virus ⛏️ Trojan Coin Miner

    Name: Ghozi_dark.exe

    Description: The Ghozi_dark.exe is a Trojan Coin Miner that uses the infected computer’s sources to mine electronic money without your authorization. This Ghozi_dark.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

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    References

    1. Read about why Monero and DarkCoin are so popular amongst cybercriminals.
    2. Detailed explanation of how does cryptomining work.
    3. About unwanted effects for GPUs in the process of cryptomining.
    4. Read more about various malware type on Cybersecurity Glossary.
    5. Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

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    About the author

    Robert Bailey

    I'm Robert Bailey, a passionate Security Engineer with a deep fascination for all things related to malware, reverse engineering, and white hat ethical hacking.

    As a white hat hacker, I firmly believe in the power of ethical hacking to bolster security measures. By identifying vulnerabilities and providing solutions, I contribute to the proactive defense of digital infrastructures.

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