What is Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe process?

As I have mentioned earlier, Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe is a coin miner trojan. The names of the executive file may be different, however, the consequences are generally the identical. Because coin miners aim at cryptocurrency mining, they utilize all possible hardware power of your personal computer to perform this procedure. This virus doesn’t pay attention to the fact that you probably need to make use of your machine for other tasks – it will always consume over 80% of your CPU power.

Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe Windows Process

Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe – Extremely high CPU and GPU usage

Besides CPU consumption, some of the coin miners also use GPU power for their operations. In that case, you will likely struggle even to see the mouse arrow moving – GPU is often used on 100%. It is not as crucial as processor for system work, so Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe coin miner viruses don’t waste time on trifles and utilize it all. It sometimes can result in sad results.

Crypto mining is a term that means the action of calculating the transaction block hash. That is a integral part of anything based on the blockchain technology. Since this operation takes a lot of calculations, a high-end desktop is required. Exactly, the graphic card is better for this task, because they have more cores available. Cryptocurrency mining farms are usually constructed of tens and hundreds of GPUs to complete their task efficiently. Such systems are not usable for “usual” purposes, like gaming or web browsing. Fraudsters who make profit via this coin miner use someones’ PCs instead, even if they are used for the regular activity.2

List of the typical coin miner symptoms

  • Microsoft Defender is stopped;
  • CPU and GPU is loaded at 80-90% exactly after the system start
  • Cooling fans are running at high speed and create a lot of noise
  • A single process in Task Manager consumes all CPU and GPU power
  • How dangerous is the Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe miner?

    Initially, Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe virus makes your PC overloaded. It is unable to run your applications now, as all processor power is used by a malware. That malware does not care for your wants, all it focuses on is generating profits on you. Even if you are patient, and you waited until browser is open, you will likely experience exceptionally slow performance. Pages can open for years, any type of logins will likely take about a minute – just a headache for a person that works online.

    Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe Technical Summary.

    File NameCefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe
    TypeTrojan Coin Miner
    Detection NameTrojan:Win32/CoinMiner
    Distribution MethodSoftware bundling, Intrusive advertisement, redirects to shady sites etc.
    Similar behaviorWdscore.exe, Microsoft.edge, Dellusere.exe
    RemovalDownload and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware for automatic Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe removal.

    “Visible” damage is not a solitary negative thing coin miners do to your personal computer. Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe coin miner additionally deals damage to your OS. To execute all malicious functions correctly, it wrecks the security features of your system. You will likely see your Microsoft Defender disabled – malware halts it to avoid recognition. If you check the HOSTS file, you will likely see a load of new entries – they are brought in by this coin miner to connect your computer to a malicious mining network. All these changes are about to be gone back to the original in the process of PC recovery.

    Hardware effects of coin miner activity

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

    Tiny and covered CPU cooling system is not very easy to broke. Meanwhile, GPUs have large and easy-to-access rotors, which can be easily broke if touched while working, for instance, by the user much before the malware injection. Malfunctioning cooling system, together with the unusually high load caused by Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe miner can easily lead to graphic processing unit failure3. Video cards are also tend to have increased wearing when used for cryptocurrency mining. It is likely a bad situation when the performance of your video card decreases on 20-30% just after several weeks of being used in such a way.

    How did I get Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe coin miner virus?

    Coin miners are the most widespread malicious programs among “severe” malware. Adware often acts as a carrier for Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe malware injection: it demonstrates you the banners, which include a link to malware downloading. Yes, this abstract “malware” may belong to any kind – another adware, spyware, rogue or backdoor. However, the statistics show that about 30% of all malware spread with the malicious banners are coin miners – and Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe is right one of them.4

    Unwanted banners adware

    The example of malicious banners you can see in the Internet

    An additional way you could get this thing on your computer is by downloading it from the dubious web page as a part of a program. People who spread hacked versions of popular programs (which do not require the license key) have small chances to make money. Hence, there is a very big lure to add malware to the final package of the hacked application and get a coin for every setup. Before blaming these people for hacking and malware distribution, ask yourself – is it alright to avoid buying the program in such a way? It is much cheaper to pay $20-$30 at once than to pay a much greater figure for antivirus software and new parts for your PC.

    How to remove the Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe miner from my PC?

    Getting rid of such a virus demands making use of specific app. Appropriate antivirus must have high capability at scanning and be lightweight – in order to make no problems with usage even on weak PCs. Furthermore, it is better to have on-run protection in your protection solution – to prevent the virus even before it starts. Microsoft Defender does not have these features for various factors. That’s why I’d advise you to use a third-party anti-malware program for that objective. GridinSoft Anti-Malware is a great option that fits all of the specified characteristics.5

    Download GridinSoft Anti-Malware

    Before the virus removal, it is important to reboot your Windows into Safe Mode with Networking. Since Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.exe miner takes a lot of CPU 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.

    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 applications, along with the majority of non-crucial operating system components, are not launched with the system start. That gives you the ability to clean the PC without dealing with high CPU usage of the coin miner.

    Remove Cefsharp.browsersubprocess.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.

    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 GridinSoft Threat Encyclopedia.
    5. Our review on GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

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