Why does the computer freeze? Searching for a hidden miner parasite in the system

Have you noticed that your PC is running significantly slower than usual? The fans are making strange noises, electricity bills have increased, and your browser constantly freezes on simple websites? These could be classic symptoms of cryptojacking — a stealthy mining program that uses your CPU and GPU resources in the background to mine cryptocurrencies.

When to worry: direct signs of a virus presence

The presence of a hidden miner on your computer becomes quite evident if you know what to look for.

Main red flags:

CPU and GPU usage spikes to 70-100% even when you are not running any applications. The system constantly makes noise — fans are trying to cool overheating hardware at full capacity. Even opening a regular text document takes 10-15 seconds of waiting. Unknown processes with names like “sysupdate.exe”, “system32host”, or just a string of characters periodically pop up in the Task Manager. New browser extensions appear that you did not install. Innocent websites cause your computer to work as intensely as when running professional video editing software.

How to find a miner on your PC: first level of diagnostics

If you suspect a miner is on your computer, start with the simplest tool — the built-in Task Manager.

Open Task Manager (for Windows, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc). Go to the “Processes” tab and sort by the “CPU” column in descending order. Carefully look at which programs are consuming the most resources. If you see processes at the top of the list that you did not launch — this is a reason for concern. Right-click on the suspicious process, select “Properties,” and check the path where the executable file is located. System processes are usually in Windows\System32, while viruses often disguise themselves in AppData or Temp folders.

If the system overheats even in idle mode, open Task Manager again and check GPU usage. High GPU load without games or professional applications often indicates cryptocurrency mining.

Second layer of protection: antivirus scan

Built-in Windows Defender or free Malwarebytes can detect most known miner viruses. Install one of these programs (or use the built-in Defender), run a full system scan, and wait for the check to complete. The process may take from one to several hours.

After completion, open the quarantine folder. If files with names like “Trojan.CoinMiner”, “Win32.Eldorado”, or similar are found — this confirms the presence of malware. Delete all detected threats and restart your system.

Advanced check: analyzing startup items and network connections

Many miner viruses add themselves to startup to begin working immediately when the computer is turned on. On Windows, press Win + R, type “msconfig,” and go to the “Startup” tab. Disable all programs you do not recognize. Then open “Settings” → “Apps” → “Startup” and check there as well.

For network analysis, open Command Prompt (Win + R → cmd) and enter the command “netstat -ano”. This will show all active connections on your computer. Look for suspicious IP addresses in the “Foreign Address” column — if you see addresses you do not recognize, note the process ID (PID) and find it in Task Manager. This will help identify which program is sending data.

Specialized tools for advanced analysis

If standard methods did not reveal anything suspicious, use Process Explorer from Microsoft. This program shows much more detail about each process than the built-in Task Manager. Download it from the official Microsoft website, run it, and look for processes with high CPU load. Right-click on a process and select “Check VirusTotal” — the program will check this process against an online database.

Resource Monitor is also useful for real-time load tracking. If you see that even with the internet turned off, some process actively uses the network — this is a clear sign of a virus.

To analyze web traffic, use Wireshark. This program intercepts all data packets sent from your computer. Miners usually send mined data to specific mining pools — patterns in these connections can help identify malicious activity.

How does a miner virus get onto your computer?

Understanding infection pathways can help prevent future issues. Viruses spread through:

— Downloading pirated software, cracks for games, and other utilities from unreliable sources. Such files often contain packed malware.

— Phishing emails with attachments or malicious links. Attackers pose as well-known companies and ask you to download “security updates.”

— Vulnerabilities in the operating system and outdated software. If you do not install updates, hackers can remotely access your system.

— Browser-based mining. Visiting an infected website can trigger a script that starts using your computer’s power without your knowledge.

Removal and system recovery

If you confirmed the presence of a miner on your PC, act quickly. Open Task Manager, find the suspicious process, and end it. Then go to the folder where the executable file is located (the path you found in the process properties), and delete the file manually. If the system does not allow you to delete the file (claiming it is used by another program), reboot into Safe Mode (Safe Mode) and try again.

After removal, run a full antivirus scan again. Use CCleaner to clean residual registry entries. Clear cache and cookies in your browser, and remove all unfamiliar extensions.

If the virus is deeply embedded and simple methods did not help, consider reinstalling the operating system as a last resort.

Prevention: how to avoid new infections

Install reliable antivirus (for example, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, or use the built-in Windows Defender) and enable automatic updates. This will help detect new miner viruses in time.

Never download files from unknown sites. If you need a program, download it only from the official developer’s website.

Use a VPN when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks — this complicates malware injection.

Regularly update your operating system and all installed programs. Hackers often exploit known vulnerabilities to spread cryptojacking.

In your browser, install an ad blocker (for example, uBlock Origin or Adblock Plus) — many ad networks are sources of web mining. Disable JavaScript on suspicious sites.

Summary

A miner virus is a hidden threat that gradually degrades your computer’s performance while mining cryptocurrency for criminals. However, with timely detection, it is easy to remove. Regularly check system load via Task Manager, use antivirus software, analyze startup items and network connections. If you notice unusually high CPU usage, strange processes, or overheating, do not delay checking. By combining Windows built-in tools with reliable antivirus and specialized utilities for analysis, you will definitely find the miner on your PC and restore your computer’s normal operation.