How to Detect and Remove a Miner on Your PC: The Complete Guide

Modern personal computer users often face the problem of hidden cryptocurrency mining. This threat can seriously damage the device and its performance. It is important to know how to find a miner on your PC and remove the malware in a timely manner.

Why a hidden miner is dangerous for your PC

When malicious software for cryptocurrency mining infiltrates a Windows system, it begins to utilize your computer or laptop’s computing resources for its own purposes. The virus belongs to the Trojan family and can remain on your PC for a long time, working unnoticed in the background.

The main danger is not only in stealing confidential data and passwords. A hidden miner heavily loads the graphics card, CPU, and RAM. This leads to overheating of the hardware and accelerated wear. Laptops are especially vulnerable—they can fail after just a few hours of continuous load.

Types of cryptocurrency viruses

Before figuring out how to find a miner on your PC, you should understand what types of malware you might encounter.

Browser-based cryptojacking

This type does not load onto your computer’s disk. Instead, it is embedded directly into a web page. When you visit an infected site, a script activates and begins to use your machine’s resources. Since the program exists only in the browser’s memory, traditional antivirus software cannot detect or remove it.

Classic file Trojan

This variant installs as a regular program—often secretly and without user consent. It is added to startup and runs every time the PC is turned on. Sometimes, such malware includes additional functionality for stealing wallet data and transferring funds to cybercriminal accounts.

How to recognize infection of your PC with malicious miner

The following signs can help identify hidden mining on your computer:

• Unusual noise and overheating of the graphics card. The GPU operates at maximum load, and the cooler spins intensely. You can check this with a free program like GPU-Z, which shows temperature and GPU load.

• Significant slowdown of the PC. If the system is lagging, open Task Manager and check CPU usage. If it shows 60% or higher in the background, it’s a serious cause for concern.

• Increased RAM usage. Malware uses all available system resources, affecting free RAM.

• Strange browser behavior. Connection drops, automatic tab closures, sudden slowdown—these can all indicate cryptojacking.

• Processes with unknown names. In Task Manager, you may see items like “asikadl.exe” or other files you did not install.

• Increased internet traffic. Malware operates constantly, sending and receiving data. Sometimes, the Trojan is part of a botnet used for DDoS attacks.

Step-by-step removal of the miner from your PC

Using antivirus software

The easiest way is to run a system scan with an antivirus. Good antivirus helps find and remove most known malware. After the scan, run CCleaner (or similar tools) to clean the system of junk and remnants of Trojans.

Finish by rebooting your computer. However, keep in mind: new miners may add themselves to the trusted programs list, disguising as system processes, or detect the opening of Task Manager and disable themselves before it appears.

Manual malware search via registry

For a more detailed analysis, perform these steps:

1. Press Win+R to open the Run window.
2. Type regedit and press Enter.
3. In the Registry Editor window, use Ctrl+F to search.
4. Enter the name of the suspicious process in the search box.
5. Click “Find Next” and carefully examine the results.

Suspicious entries usually have names composed of random characters. After identifying them, delete all found items and restart. If the problem persists, a deeper analysis is needed.

Checking via Windows Task Scheduler

This method often reveals hidden processes that standard tools miss:

1. Open the Run window (Win+R).
2. Type taskschd.msc and confirm.
3. Navigate to “Task Scheduler Library.”

Here are all processes set to run automatically. For each task, check the “Triggers” and “Actions” tabs:

• Triggers show when the process is launched. Pay attention to tasks that activate on startup.
• Actions describe what the process does.

Suspicious tasks can be disabled (right-click → “Disable”) and then deleted. Check CPU load after disabling—if it returns to normal, you’ve found the culprit.

Advanced diagnostics with specialized tools

For more thorough checking, use programs like AnVir Task Manager, which analyzes all automatically launched tasks in detail. To detect complex malware, install Dr.Web—a powerful antivirus with deep system scan capabilities.

Before starting removal, create a system restore point in case you need to revert changes.

How to protect your PC from cryptocurrency viruses

Reliable protection requires a comprehensive approach:

Basic security measures:

• Install and regularly update antivirus software.
• Keep Windows OS up to date with all security patches.
• Before downloading any software, research its source and reviews.
• Scan all downloaded files with antivirus before executing.

Network security:

• Always browse the internet with antivirus and firewall enabled.
• Add dangerous sites to your hosts file using trusted lists (e.g., from GitHub).
• Set a strong password on your router, disable its discovery and remote access.
• Limit allowed ports via antivirus and firewall settings.

System control:

• Avoid performing actions with administrator rights unless necessary.
• Use secpol.msc to create a trust policy and run only verified software.
• Set a password on your Windows account.
• Restrict other users from searching and installing programs.

Browser protection:

• Do not visit sites without SSL certificates (check for https).
• In Chrome settings, enable detection and protection against mining (“Privacy and Security” section).
• Consider blocking JavaScript in your browser if you frequently encounter cryptojacking.
• Install ad-blocker and script-blocker extensions (AdBlock, uBlock, etc.).

Following these recommendations significantly reduces the risk of your PC being infected with a cryptocurrency virus and helps you find a miner if infection occurs. The key to security is vigilance and regular system checks.