Mining Virus: What Is Its Danger And How To Get Rid Of It?
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Over the past years, the cryptocurrency market has skyrocketed, surpassing even such stable currencies like the dollar and the euro. It is considered that if there is a relatively powerful computer, anyone can earn money on cryptocurrency, and hackers use even a mining virus for this.
The essence of mining on your computer
If you do not go into details, then the essence of mining is to download, install and run a special program on your PC. Depending on the performance (power) of iron, the processing of data blocks using computer resources begins. For participation in the calculation of a small percentage of cryptocurrency money.
This is the easiest way to earn virtual currency. The only fatty minus is this: when mining, the computer is running at full capacity, and it should be included in the network around the clock. Besides the fact that the equipment consumes quite a lot of electricity, the situation is aggravated by the wear of iron, so making money using just this method is a controversial issue.
Hackers use mining virus
Now imagine that someone without your knowledge uses the resources of your computer for their own purposes. A mining virus can get to you, for example, when you download a program from unverified sources. Like all viruses, it installs seamlessly.
But unlike other viruses, he has no purpose to steal data or break a computer. His goal is to disguise as much as possible from antivirus software (software) and adapt to the configuration of your device.
Virus symptoms
Even at this very moment, while reading this article, the mining virus can make good money on your computer for its owner. It can be overlooked for months. The presence of the virus is implicit, but there are signs that seeing that, there is a reason to sound the alarm.
If your computer starts to slow down in simple operations, for example, such as:
- moved the folder on your desktop or
- launched player, notepad, browser,
it is quite likely that at this moment the virus is actively using an iron to its fullest, and he did not have time to transfer the highest priority to another program that was launched.
Owners of laptops can indirectly detect the virus by the sound, the noise of the cooling system of the laptop. If, even when idle, when nothing is done on the computer, continuous noise of cooling fans is heard – this may be the reason that an unauthorized program is running on the computer — a mining virus, for example.
True, you have to be careful here and not only trust your hearing. It is imperative to check for the presence of a virus in the following ways, because the noise of the cooling system of the laptop can be caused by the work of the antivirus (for example, it checks all files for weekly viruses) or by running Windows update tools that can also load the CPU up to 25% -50% and cause increased noise from the cooling system.
Owners of stationary computers, most likely, will not hear the noise of the cooling system, which removes heat from PC nodes involved in mining, so this recommendation is not suitable for them.
How to identify a virus
Identifying a virus for inexperienced users can be a daunting task. Nevertheless, it makes sense to try to track viral activity.
To do this, use the CTRL + ALT + DEL combination to call the task manager and view a list of running programs. If some process loads the CPU (central processing unit) by more than 50%, but nothing is done on the computer, then we can say that the virus has detected itself. By clicking on the PCM process (right mouse button), you can open its location.
How to solve the problem with mining virus
If you find the location of the virus using the Task Manager, you can try to remove it manually.
But caution is needed here, as there is a chance to confuse the virus with the system file: after its removal, the operating system may not start next time. Therefore, it is recommended to quarantine antivirus software (antivirus) before sending it out.
In addition to manually detecting and removing the mining virus, you can use the other two options:
- Antivirus scan the entire computer;
- Reinstall the full operating system.
In the first case, be sure to update the anti-virus database before scanning the system.
In the second case, everything is simpler – a complete demolition of the operating system with all personal data and the installation of a new pristine-clean system. In this case, you can be guaranteed to get rid not only of the mining virus but also of all viruses. Unfortunately, personal files and user data, as well as all previously installed programs are also permanently deleted.
However, it is sometimes easier to restore your personal files and programs from the archives after reinstalling the operating system, unless of course these archives are and they are done in advance, than to constantly maintain an unauthorized mining program, slowing down their own work, worsening the computer’s parameters and creating the prerequisites for its accelerated wear.
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