srbminer-multi.exe is the Windows executable for SRBMiner-MULTI, a legitimate cryptocurrency-mining program. However, attackers also download miners under this name for cryptojacking. A filename alone cannot tell you which case you have. Check the file’s path, source, hash, command line, network activity and persistence before deciding whether it is safe.
If you did not deliberately install mining software, treat unexpected activity as potentially unwanted. The procedure below shows how to identify the file, stop active mining, remove persistence, scan Windows and verify that it does not return.
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What srbminer-multi.exe does
SRBMiner-MULTI is a multi-algorithm cryptocurrency miner. The project’s official description says it can mine up to four algorithms or coins simultaneously. It supports CPU mining and AMD, NVIDIA and Intel GPUs on 64-bit Windows and Linux. Features advertised by the project include a watchdog, temperature monitoring, automatic restarts, pool failover and web statistics.
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The official GitHub release page lists SRBMiner-MULTI version 3.7.5, released October 10, 2026, and provides a Windows 64-bit archive named SRBMiner-Multi-3-7-5-win64.zip. Its published MD5 value is 399a4b21056a67697d808aeff0a544bf. Treat the project’s current release page and hash as the authority; versions and hashes can change.
Nanopool’s 2023 setup documentation records a built-in 1.25% fee for SRBMiner. That figure is a miner setting reported by Nanopool in 2023, not a universal fee for every pool or future release. The same documentation warns that non-official miners have not been vetted and should be used at your own risk.
Is srbminer-multi.exe safe?
There is no safe-or-unsafe answer based only on the name. A copy you intentionally downloaded from the official project, extracted to a directory you recognize and verified against the project’s release information can be legitimate. A copy that appeared without your consent, runs from a temporary or obscure directory, contacts a mining pool or recreates itself after you stop it is suspicious.
Microsoft Security Intelligence lists PUA:Win64/SRBMiner as a Microsoft Defender Antivirus detection. “PUA” means potentially unwanted application; Defender’s classification is a warning that the program can be unwanted even when the underlying miner is not inherently a destructive virus. Microsoft also documented a 2026 cryptojacking campaign that downloaded SRBMiner-MULTI at run time and maintained persistence through scheduled tasks, registry Run entries and a Startup-folder shortcut.
| Check | More consistent with an intentional installation | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Source | You downloaded the archive from the official project or its official GitHub release. | The file arrived from an unsolicited installer, cracked software bundle, email attachment or unofficial mirror. |
| Location | A folder you created for mining and can explain. | A random name under a temporary, downloads, profile-data or system-looking folder that you did not create. |
| Command line | Arguments match your documented pool, wallet and algorithm configuration. | Arguments contain an unfamiliar pool, wallet address, encoded PowerShell or a hidden-window option. |
| Persistence | You knowingly configured a startup task and can identify it. | Unknown scheduled tasks, Run-key values or Startup shortcuts relaunch the process. |
| Security status | Your security software has no detection and the release hash matches. | Defender or another security product identifies PUA:Win64/SRBMiner or related malware. |
| Network use | Connections go to the pool you selected. | Connections go to unknown mining pools or change after termination. |
Do not launch an untrusted copy merely to inspect it. You can collect most of the evidence from Windows tools while it is stopped or quarantined.
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Identify the exact copy before removing it
- Open Task Manager. Press
Ctrl+Shift+Esc, select Details, locatesrbminer-multi.exe, right-click it and choose Open file location. Record the complete path before deleting anything. - Record the process details. Note the process ID, parent process, start time and CPU/GPU use. If you use Microsoft Sysinternals Process Explorer, record the command line and parent process there as well.
- Use PowerShell for a repeatable record. In a terminal opened for your own investigation, run:
Get-CimInstance Win32_Process -Filter "Name='srbminer-multi.exe'" | Select-Object ProcessId,ExecutablePath,CommandLine,ParentProcessId
This shows where the process came from and which arguments started it. Save the output as text if you may need to report a compromise. - Check the signature and hash without running the file. Replace the path with the one you recorded:
Get-AuthenticodeSignature "C:pathtosrbminer-multi.exe"Get-FileHash "C:pathtosrbminer-multi.exe" -Algorithm MD5
The MD5 value is useful only for comparison with the exact official archive or release information. A matching hash supports provenance; it does not prove that the program was authorized on your computer. - Inspect network activity. Resource Monitor’s Network tab can show connections associated with the process. Record unfamiliar hostnames or addresses, but do not visit them. Mining-pool traffic is expected for a miner; an unknown pool is not evidence of ownership or consent.
Remove an unwanted or malicious copy
Perform these steps in order. If the computer is actively mining or the process keeps returning, isolate it first. If you intentionally use SRBMiner, stop at the provenance and configuration checks instead of deleting your installation.
1. Isolate the computer
Disconnect Wi-Fi or unplug Ethernet, or temporarily block the process’s outbound access at your firewall. Isolation limits further downloads and pool communication while you investigate. Until the machine is clean, avoid signing in to banking, email or other sensitive accounts on it.
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2. Preserve evidence, then stop the process
Keep the path, command line and any security-alert name in your notes. In Task Manager, right-click the process and choose End task. If it immediately reappears, do not repeatedly kill it; continue to the persistence checks below. A parent process, scheduled task or script may be relaunching it.
3. Run an updated Microsoft Defender scan
- Reconnect only if necessary to obtain current security definitions, then open Windows Security.
- Go to Virus & threat protection → Scan options → Full scan → Scan now.
- Quarantine detected files. Record the exact detection name, especially
PUA:Win64/SRBMiner, rather than dismissing it as a generic warning. - If the process or its launcher returns, choose Microsoft Defender Offline scan from the same scan-options page. Windows restarts into a trusted scanning environment, which can inspect files before normal startup programs load.
Do not restore a quarantined miner until you have established that you installed it deliberately and verified its source.
4. Remove scheduled-task persistence
Press Win+R, enter taskschd.msc and inspect Task Scheduler Library and any subfolders. Sort by last run time and review tasks created near the first appearance of the process. Open a suspicious task’s Actions tab and look for the executable, a batch file, PowerShell, an archive extractor or a URL that downloads a miner. Disable the task first, export it if you need documentation, then delete it after confirming it is not a legitimate task from software you recognize.
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5. Check registry Run entries
Use Win+R → regedit only if you are comfortable editing the registry. Review these locations:
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HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunOnceHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunOnce
Look for values that launch srbminer-multi.exe, a script that invokes it, or a file in the same suspicious directory. Export a key for your records, then remove only the value you have identified. Do not delete an entire Run key or unrelated entries.
6. Check Startup folders
Press Win+R and enter shell:startup to inspect your user Startup folder. Then enter shell:common startup to inspect the all-users folder. Delete an unfamiliar shortcut or script that points to the miner after recording its target. Microsoft’s 2026 report specifically describes a Startup shortcut being recreated as part of SRBMiner abuse.
7. Inspect scripts, archives and downloaders
Search the suspicious directory, Downloads folder and recently created files for .bat, .cmd, .ps1, archive files and installer remnants. Search their text for the executable name, mining-pool hostnames, wallet addresses or commands that create scheduled tasks and Run entries. Do not run a batch file that claims to repair or reinstall the miner. Delete the launcher and archive only after Defender has scanned them and you have preserved any information needed for an incident report.
8. Delete or quarantine the executable
After stopping its process and disabling launchers, remove the unwanted executable and its associated folder, or let Defender quarantine it. If Windows says the file is in use, restart in Safe Mode and remove it there, then run another full scan. Do not download replacement DLL files from random websites to make a suspicious copy start.
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9. Reboot and verify recovery
Restart normally. Confirm that srbminer-multi.exe is absent from Task Manager, the scheduled-task list, the Run keys and both Startup folders. Check CPU/GPU usage at idle and run another Defender scan. If the process returns, repeat the inspection from the new parent process and newly created persistence entry; that pattern indicates an unresolved launcher rather than a simple deleted file.
10. Protect accounts if compromise is plausible
From a separate trusted device, change important passwords, enable multifactor authentication and review account activity. This is prudent when an unknown downloader, script or remote-access component was involved, even though a miner alone does not establish that passwords were stolen.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Fix common srbminer-multi.exe symptoms
“Why is it using 100% GPU or CPU?”
Mining intentionally consumes available compute resources. If you installed it, stop the miner or lower its configured intensity, thread count or device selection using the project’s current documentation and your configuration file. If you did not install it, treat the resource use as unwanted mining and follow the removal workflow; do not assume that replacing a graphics driver will remove the miner.
“Why does it keep coming back after I end the task?”
Check the parent process, Task Scheduler, the four Run and RunOnce locations, and both Startup folders. Microsoft documented all three persistence mechanisms in an SRBMiner cryptojacking campaign. Also inspect scripts that download the executable again. Remove the launcher, not just the visible miner process, and rescan offline if it survives a reboot.
“Windows Defender blocked or quarantined it.”
Review the detection history and note whether the alert is PUA:Win64/SRBMiner. If you never authorized mining, leave it quarantined and remove its launchers. If you did authorize it, verify the official source and release hash before considering an exception; do not disable Defender merely to make the program run.
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“The program reports a missing DLL or will not start.”
A damaged extraction, wrong architecture or incomplete unofficial bundle can cause startup errors. For an intentional installation, obtain the current 64-bit archive only from the official project release path, extract it to a new folder and compare the published archive hash. Do not obtain individual DLLs from download sites. For an unwanted copy, a startup error is not a reason to repair it—remove it and its persistence instead.
“It crashes, freezes or stops after a while.”
For a miner you knowingly configured, consult its current logs and verify that the selected algorithm, pool, wallet, device and temperature limits match your hardware. Watchdog and automatic-restart features can make a configuration problem look like repeated crashes. For an unknown copy, preserve the command line and parent process, then perform the malware-removal steps rather than troubleshooting its mining settings.
Verify an intentional installation
If you choose to mine with SRBMiner-MULTI, start from a clean Windows installation and document why the program is present. Download the archive from the official project or its official GitHub release, confirm that the release matches your Windows 64-bit system, and compare the archive’s MD5 with the value published for that exact release. For version 3.7.5 released October 10, 2026, the listed archive hash is 399a4b21056a67697d808aeff0a544bf.
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A matching hash establishes that the archive matches a published release; it does not prove that a third party did not configure it to mine for someone else. You still need to inspect command-line arguments and persistence entries after installation.
When is it safe to delete srbminer-multi.exe?
It is generally safe to remove the file when you did not intentionally install SRBMiner, have recorded the evidence you need, and have disabled the task, Run entry, Startup shortcut or script that launches it. Let Defender quarantine associated files where possible, reboot, rescan and verify that the process does not return.
If you intentionally installed it, deleting only the executable can leave a scheduled task or startup entry that produces repeated errors. Stop the miner cleanly, remove the startup configuration you created and then uninstall or delete the complete installation folder. Keep a backup of configuration files only if you trust their contents.
Quick Recap
Prevention checklist
- Install software from the publisher’s official release channel, not repacked bundles or cracks.
- Keep Windows, Microsoft Defender definitions and graphics drivers current.
- Review installer screens for optional miners, scripts and startup tasks.
- Use a standard user account for routine work and approve elevation prompts only when you understand the request.
- Periodically inspect Task Scheduler, Startup folders and Run entries if an unknown process has appeared.
- Investigate unexplained sustained CPU/GPU use, fan activity or pool connections.
- Keep records of intentional mining software, its path, version, hash and configuration so a later alert can be judged accurately.
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