This article has been created in order to explain what is the WmiPrvSE.exe cryptocurrency miner and how to detect and remove it completely from your computer system.
A new cryptocurrency mining malware has been reported to take advantage of a fake process, named WmiPrvSE.exe in order to mine for cryptocurrencies on the victim’s computer. While the original WmiPrvSE.exe process is a Windows® Management Instrumentation component, the malware uses the name as a pretext to conduct it’s malicious operations. This happens by running the process in the background and using heavily the CPU and GPU resources of the victim’s computer system. This may result in your computer to overheat and if the virus remains on it for longer periods of time, several of your PC’s important components may break down. If you have detected the wmiprfvse.exe on your computer system, it is strongly advisable to read the following article and learn how to remove it plus restore your computer back to normal working state.
Threat Summary
| Name | WmiPrvSE.exe Virus |
| Type | CryptoCurrency miner program. |
| Short Description | Aims to mine for various cryptocurrencies at the expense of the victim’s computer resources. |
| Symptoms | General slowing down of the computer’s performance. The PC may even freeze at times. Wmiprvse.exe runs in the background. |
| Distribution Method | Via bundled installers, fake setups or via other PUP that has already been installed on your PC. |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by WmiPrvSE.exe Virus Download Malware Removal Tool | User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss WmiPrvSE.exe Virus. |
WmiPrvSE.exe Miner – How to Detect and Remove It from your computer
The WmiPrvSE.exe miner may create multiple different files in the following Windows directories:
- %AppData%
- %Local%
- %LocalLow%
- %Roaming%
- %Windows%
- %Temp%
In addition to this, the WmiPrvSE.exe cryptocurrency miner may also create various objects in the following Windows Registry entries that may point out the actual location of the files:
→ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\ScreenSaveTimeOut
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Furthermore, the malware may run an active process, WmiPrvSE.exe which only pretends to be a legitimate one. The process runs in the background in Windows Task Manager, similar to what the image below displays:
You can start by stopping the miner process in order to normalize the functioning of your computer system. But make sure it is the fake process, since the original one is ran under the user name SYSTEM. So if this one is not ran via SYSTEM, it is likely to be the malicious one. The process stopping can happen if you right-click on it via the Windows Task Manager and then click on End Process. If that does not work, you can end it by ending the process tree. If you want to find the location of the file, you can right-click on it, before you end it as a process and then click on Open File location. After you stop it as a process, you can go ahead and delete the executable itself to stop the virus from functioning.
Then, you can go ahead and follow the removal instructions down below to remove the rest of the WmiPrvSE.exe miner‘s malicious files and objects. The instruction steps are divided in manual and automatic removal methods below and we recommend following the manual removal only if you have experience with malware removal and can feel confident that you will remove all of the files and objects completely. Otherwise, it is strongly advisable to remove this malware automatically, as experts would suggest by downloading an advanced anti-malware software. Such will automatically scan for and remove all the malicious objects of the WmiPrvSE.exe cryptocurrency miner on your computer and make sure other malware which may be downloaded is also gone as well and your system stays protected against future infections.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by WmiPrvSE.exe Virus and other threats.
Scan Your PC with SpyHunter
SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as WmiPrvSE.exe Virus.
Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
To remove WmiPrvSE.exe Virus follow these steps:
1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7.
2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.
Use SpyHunter to scan for malware and unwanted programs
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for WmiPrvSE.exe Virus and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
