Honestly, I have encountered this problem more than once. Hidden miners are one of the most annoying things you can catch while surfing the internet. The virus infiltrates the system, starts using your CPU and graphics card for mining crypto, and you don’t even immediately notice what’s happening. The worst part is that regular antivirus software doesn’t always help against these things.

So what exactly is it? Essentially, it’s a Trojan program that infiltrates Windows and starts mining cryptocurrency in the background. There are two main types. The first is cryptojacking, an embedded script directly in a website. When you visit an infected page, the script activates and your computer begins working for hackers. The second type is a classic file-based miner, which installs as a regular program and runs every time the system boots.

The danger of a miner virus is that it’s not just resource theft. If such a Trojan infects your system, your passwords could be compromised, and data stolen. But the main issue is physical damage to hardware. The graphics card and CPU run at maximum capacity, and laptops can even fail after just a few hours of intensive background mining. The system becomes unresponsive, everything slows down, and the equipment overheats.

How to tell if you’re infected? The first sign is that the graphics card starts making a hellish noise, the cooler spins at full speed, and the GPU becomes hot. You can check this with the GPU-Z program. The second is that the computer begins to lag terribly, and when you open the Task Manager, you see CPU usage at 60% or higher without an apparent reason. The third is that RAM is used up unusually quickly. The fourth is that the browser starts freezing, tabs close on their own, and the connection constantly drops. The fifth is that files disappear, settings get reset. If you see processes with strange names like asikadl.exe—that’s also a warning sign.

Now about how to remove a miner virus. The first thing to do is run a full scan with antivirus software. I use Dr. Web; it performs deep scans and catches even complex threats. After the scan, run CCleaner or an equivalent tool to clean the system of junk. Reboot.

If the antivirus didn’t help, proceed to manual search. Open the registry: Win+R, then type regedit. In the registry, press Ctrl+F and search for suspicious process names. Delete everything that looks strange, then restart.

Another method is to check the Task Scheduler. Win+R, type taskschd.msc. Open the task scheduler library and look for tasks that run at every startup. If you see anything suspicious, disable that task (right-click, disable). If after disabling the CPU usage returns to normal—then you’ve found the enemy. Then delete that task from startup. For more thorough startup checks, use a program like AnVir Task Manager.

How to more reliably remove a miner virus? Create a system backup before deleting, in case something goes wrong. Then use specialized antivirus like Dr. Web for deep cleaning. It will find and delete any suspicious files and processes.

To avoid catching such malware in the future, follow these rules. First, create a clean Windows system image and restore it every 2-3 months if you notice signs of infection. Second, always keep your antivirus enabled and regularly update its databases. Third, before downloading any program, check its information, and scan all downloaded files with antivirus. Fourth, work with antivirus and firewall enabled. If the system warns about a dangerous site—close it immediately.

Additional measures: add dangerous sites to the hosts file (there are ready-made lists on GitHub with info about browser mining). Do not run programs as administrator—miners will get maximum access. Use the secpol.msc utility to create policies limiting software usage. Restrict accessible ports in antivirus and firewall settings. Set a strong password on your router and disable its detection. Prohibit other users from installing programs. Set a password on Windows. Do not visit sites without SSL certificates (check for https). Disable JavaScript in the browser (though this breaks some site elements). In Chrome, enable built-in protection against mining in the privacy settings. Install AdBlock or uBlock to block ad banners.

How to remove a miner virus is an important question, but even more important is not catching it in the first place. Be careful while surfing, and your computer will run smoothly.