AV64N.EXE Trojan

What is AV64N.EXE?

"AV64N.EXE" is a process name that some users notice in Windows Task Manger. This process may seem suspicious, and indeed "AV64N.EXE" indicates that your system is infected with a cryptocurrency-mining trojan. It is a name of an executable (application) that misuses system resources to mine cryptocurrencies.

Cryptocurrency mining became very popular in late 2017 after Bitcoin's price rose dramatically. Crypto-mining is essentially the use of computers to solve various mathematical problems. The more powerful hardware you have, the more revenue you generate.

In fact, using low-end components will deliver no real value, and even cause financial loss (electricity bills are higher than revenue generated). Thus, mining cryptocurrency can be very costly, since powerful hardware is expensive.

To avoid the cost, hardware, preparation, and so on, cyber criminals started developing viruses that infiltrate regular computers and misuse resources to mine cryptocurrency.

Although an average computer alone barely generates enough revenue (as mentioned above, electricity costs are prohibitive), connecting thousands of computers without spending anything is very effective. Therefore, criminals started proliferating crypto-mining viruses all over the Internet.

Depending on the mined cryptocurrency (Monero, Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.), the process may use CPU or GPU components. In any case, the process can take up to 100% of system resources. This makes computers unstable and virtually unusable - they barely respond and might crash, resulting in permanent data loss.

Furthermore, loaded hardware generates excessive heat. Thus, in certain circumstances (e.g., poor cooling systems, high room temperatures, etc.), components can overheat. Therefore, the presence of crypto-mining malware is dangerous.

If you have noticed that your computer performance has diminished or you see "AV64N.EXE" process in Windows Task Manager, you should immediately scan the system with a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite and eliminate all threats. Furthermore, we strongly advise you to uninstall all suspicious applications.

Threat Summary:

Name	AV64N.EXE virus
Threat Type	Trojan, Password stealing virus, Banking malware, Spyware
Symptoms	Trojans are designed to stealthily infiltrate victim's computer and remain silent thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine.
Distribution methods	Infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software cracks.
Damage	Stolen banking information, passwords, identity theft, victim's computer added to a botnet.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

There are a number of cryptocurrency mining viruses, all of which are very similar. The list of example includes (but is not limited to) XMR Miner, JSMiner-C, IdleBuddy, and many others. Some are present with legitimate applications, while others infiltrate the system unnoticed and leave no traces.

Despite this, all have identical behavior - they abuse the system to mine cryptocurrencies without users' consent.

How did AV64N.EXE infiltrate my computer?

Trojans are distributed in various ways, however, the most popular are: 1) spam emails campaigns; 2) fake software updaters; 3) third party software download sources, and; 4) trojans. Spam campaigns are used to proliferate malicious attachments [JavaScript files, MS Office documents, etc.] that, once opened, stealthily download and install malware.

Fake updaters infect the system by exploiting outdated software bugs/flaws or simply downloading and installing malware rather than promoted updates.

Unofficial download sources (peer-to-peer [P2P] networks, free file hosting websites, freeware download sites, and others) distribute viruses by presenting them as legitimate software. Users are tricked into downloading and installing viruses. Trojans open "backdoors" for other viruses to infiltrate the system.

How to avoid installation of malware?

To prevent this situation, be very cautious when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing/updating software. Check all received email attachments. Files that seem irrelevant or have been received from suspicious/unrecognizable email addresses should never be opened.

Furthermore, we strongly advise you to avoid using third party download/installation tools, since developers use them to promote deceptive apps. Software should be downloaded from official sources only, using direct download links. Keep installed applications up-to-date.

To achieve this, however, use implemented functions or tools provided by the official developer only. Having a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and running is also paramount.

The key to computer safety is caution. If your computer is already infected with crypto-mining viruses and you see "AV64N.EXE" in Task Manager, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

CPU resource usage during the mining process:

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is AV64N.EXE?
• STEP 1. Manual removal of AV64N.EXE malware.
• STEP 2. Check if your computer is clean.

How to remove malware manually?

Manual malware removal is a complicated task - usually it is best to allow antivirus or anti-malware programs to do this automatically.

To remove this malware we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. If you wish to remove malware manually, the first step is to identify the name of the malware that you are trying to remove. Here is an example of a suspicious program running on a user's computer:

If you checked the list of programs running on your computer, for example using task manager, and identified a program that looks suspicious, you should continue with these steps:

 Download a program called Autoruns. This program shows auto-start applications, Registry, and file system locations:

Restart your computer into Safe Mode:

Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Start your computer in Safe Mode. Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, click OK. During your computer start process, press the F8 key on your keyboard multiple times until you see the Windows Advanced Option menu, and then select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.

Video showing how to start Windows 7 in "Safe Mode with Networking":

Windows 8 users: Start Windows 8 is Safe Mode with Networking - Go to Windows 8 Start Screen, type Advanced, in the search results select Settings. Click Advanced startup options, in the opened "General PC Settings" window, select Advanced startup. Click the "Restart now" button.

Your computer will now restart into the "Advanced Startup options menu". Click the "Troubleshoot" button, and then click the "Advanced options" button. In the advanced option screen, click "Startup settings". Click the "Restart" button. Your PC will restart into the Startup Settings screen. Press F5 to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.

Video showing how to start Windows 8 in "Safe Mode with Networking":

Windows 10 users: Click the Windows logo and select the Power icon. In the opened menu click "Restart" while holding "Shift" button on your keyboard. In the "choose an option" window click on the "Troubleshoot", next select "Advanced options". In the advanced options menu select "Startup Settings" and click on the "Restart" button.

In the following window you should click the "F5" button on your keyboard. This will restart your operating system in safe mode with networking.

Video showing how to start Windows 10 in "Safe Mode with Networking":

 

Extract the downloaded archive and run the Autoruns.exe file.

In the Autoruns application, click "Options" at the top and uncheck the "Hide Empty Locations" and "Hide Windows Entries" options. After this procedure, click the "Refresh" icon.

Check the list provided by the Autoruns application and locate the malware file that you want to eliminate.

You should write down its full path and name. Note that some malware hides process names under legitimate Windows process names. At this stage, it is very important to avoid removing system files. After you locate the suspicious program you wish to remove, right click your mouse over its name and choose "Delete".

After removing the malware through the Autoruns application (this ensures that the malware will not run automatically on the next system startup), you should search for the malware name on your computer. Be sure to enable hidden files and folders before proceeding. If you find the filename of the malware, remove it.

Reboot your computer in normal mode. Following these steps should remove any malware from your computer. Note that manual threat removal requires advanced computer skills. If you do not have these skills, leave malware removal to antivirus and anti-malware programs.

These steps might not work with advanced malware infections. As always it is best to prevent infection than try to remove malware later. To keep your computer safe, install the latest operating system updates and use antivirus software.

To be sure your computer is free of malware infections we recommend scanning it with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

▼ Show Discussion