Recently, I noticed that many people’s computers around me are inexplicably getting slower, and later I found out it was caused by hidden mining malware. Honestly, this is even harder to deal with than ordinary viruses, because it secretly uses your hardware resources to mine cryptocurrency, and antivirus software sometimes can’t detect it at all.

Mining malware mainly comes in two types. One is an online script hidden in websites: as soon as you open the infected page, it starts running, and antivirus software has no way to handle it. The other is a traditional virus file that gets installed on your computer without you noticing, and it automatically starts every time you boot up. Some of them even steal your wallet information.

How can you tell if you’ve been infected? First, check whether your graphics card is unusually hot, with the fans spinning nonstop. Or if your computer becomes extremely laggy—open Task Manager and you may see CPU usage jump to over 60%. Another sign is that memory consumption suddenly increases, network traffic inexplicably rises, and your browser often stutters. If you notice some strange process names in Task Manager, such as “asikadl.exe,” then you should be on alert.

I’ve summarized a few methods to remove mining malware. Step one is to scan the entire system with antivirus software, then run CCleaner to clean up junk files, and finally restart your computer. But some crafty malware will add itself to the trusted list, so the antivirus can’t find it. In that case, you need to search manually.

My approach is to open the Registry (press Win+R, type regedit), and use Ctrl+F to search for suspicious process names. Usually, these malicious processes have names made up of random characters. After you find them, delete them all and restart. If there’s still a problem, use the Task Scheduler (press Win+R, type taskschd.msc) to check scheduled tasks that run automatically, and disable or delete any suspicious ones.

If none of these methods work, you’ll need to download professional deep-scanning tools, such as Dr.Web. It can find more complex mining malware. It’s best to back up your system before cleaning, just in case.

Instead of fixing things after the fact, it’s better to protect in advance. My advice is: install antivirus software and update the virus database regularly; check information before downloading any programs; scan all downloaded files; enable antivirus and the firewall; don’t run unnecessary actions as an administrator; set a password on Windows to prevent unauthorized access; don’t visit suspicious websites without SSL certificates (check whether the address starts with https); turn off JavaScript execution in your browser settings; use ad filters like AdBlock or uBlock. Chrome also has a built-in mining detection feature that can be enabled in privacy and security settings.

Put simply, the core of protecting against mining malware is to stay vigilant. Regularly check your system status, update your security software in a timely manner, and don’t download or visit unfamiliar websites casually. Only then can you effectively prevent mining malware from targeting you.