'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin Miner

The 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner is a threat infection that is designed to generate money by taking advantage of the infected computer's processing power. BitCoins are an online currency. The way new Bitcoins are created is by using computer processing power to run algorithms. The 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner belongs to a category of threats that the con artists may use to infect the victim's computer with software that uses that computer's resources to generate BitCoins, making a profit while using the victim's resources. Threats like the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner make the infected computer slower than normal, causing it to overheat frequently and affecting its performance severely while running in the background.

The 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin Miner and Similar Threats

The 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner processes BitCoin transactions using the victim's computer, making money for its controllers while causing problems on the affected computer. The 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner may be installed on victim's computers using social engineering tactics or other threats, and it is one of the ways with which con artists can make money from threats. The most common way in which the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner is installed is by delivering it with pirated software, cracked software, or other illegitimate software downloaded from the Web. If the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner has been installed on your computer, it is likely that other threats had been installed along with it.

How the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin Miner may be Installed on the Victim's Computer

Pirated software is not the only way in which the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner can be installed on the victim's computer. There are countless ways that threats can be distributed, including attack websites, corrupted email attachments and online advertisements, hacking into the victim's computers directly, or using other threats to 'drop' the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner on the victim's computer. Once the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner is installed on the victim's computer, it will be located in the following directory:

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\time folder

The two file processes related to the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner are 'TimeServer.exe*32' and 'nircmd.exe,' which allow the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner to communicate with its controllers. WindowsTime.exe is the name chosen to hide the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner because it appears as a legitimate file process that could allow Windows to run the calendar and clock on the operating system clearly. Disguising BitCoin miners as legitimate Windows files and processes is a typical tactic used by these threats to prevent computer users from understanding how their machines have been affected. The 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner uses a BAT file as part of its attack, and when the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner is installed, it will make the following entry into the Windows start-up programs:

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\miner\start.bat

This BAT file loads the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner and its related executable, allowing the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner to run on the infected computer.

Common Symptoms of the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin Miner Infections

Threats like the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner may present several symptoms, including the following:

• Victims may notice a significant load on the CPU and GPU, which will be used by the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner to mine BitCoin.
• Computers infected with the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner may crash and freeze frequently, also heat up or show other signs of strain.
• Affected computers, especially laptops, will become quite noisy since the fan and graphics card will be working to compensate for the strain placed on the computer by the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner's mining operations.
• Computer users may have difficulty loading high-resolution videos or other software that requires more system resources since these will be occupied by the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner.

If your computer has been compromised by the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner attack, PC security researchers strongly advise computer users to use a proper security program to detect and remove the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner and all related files. The 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner also can be removed manually, but any threats that may have accompanied the 'WindowsTime.exe' Bitcoin miner threat also should be removed.