Skip to main content

How to Identify Cryptojacking Malware?

There are several ways to identify the hidden crypto mining malware on our computer. We can either detect and identify that malware manually or by using the third-party antivirus or antimalware tools. These are the few ways to identify the cryptojacking malware on our computer.


Monitoring CPU usage

If we see unusual CPU usage behavior then our computer might be infected with cryptojacking malware. Usually, there won’t be much CPU usage when the computer is idle. We only see a spike in CPU usage when we are using heavy programs, so if we see high CPU usage on our computer when we are not using any programs on the computer then this might be the result of cryptojacking malware. We can manually monitor the CPU usage of our computer when we open any web browser or open any website. If the CPU usage is increasing when we open any website then there might be cryptojacking code on the website, we can then block those websites from being loaded on our computer. If we see high CPU usage when opening a browser or any other application, then this might be due to the hidden mining codes in that software. Monitoring CPU usage is one of the best ways to identify the cryptojacking malware.


Analyzing fan sound
One of the ways to detect crypto jacking malware is to monitor the CPU usage but checking CPU usage frequently might be impractical. Instead of checking CPU usage we can also check the sounds of a computer fan. If the computer is infected with cryptojacking then it will increase the CPU usage which will result on the increasing temperature of the CPU so the cooler fan of the computer will rotate rapidly making the sounds notable. If we can hear the loud noise of fan frequently then our computer might be infected with the cryptojacking malware. There are lots of fanless laptops and ultra-books available, also the mobile devices will not have a fan to cool down the CPU. For that kind of computers and mobile devices, we can monitor the temperature of CPU rather than monitoring the fan sound.

Analyzing the performance of the computer
If the computer is infected with crypto mining virus then one of the major symptoms is the slow performance. Since most of the CPU will be allocated for the mining purpose computer can’t handle the assigned task and the performance of the computer will reduce. If our computer started performing slowly suddenly then it can be the result of cryptojacking. When we open any website infected with mining malware it makes the browser and other application very slow. Sometime the browser might freeze due to high CPU usage by the application. With the modern operating system, we can see the CPU usage of individual tabs on the browser so if any tab is making the computer slower, the website opened in that page might be mining the cryptocurrency.

Popular posts from this blog

Why should we stop using SMS-based two-factor authentication?

 Today, securing an application is challenging as attackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. A proper authentication system plays a significant role in application security, as, without one, the app’s vulnerability could allow a malicious person to gain unauthorized access. Poorly configured authentication systems and human error are the most common reasons for data breaches. Therefore, to address this issue, the concept of two-factor authentication (2FA) or multifactor authentication is applied. In addition to user ID and password, 2FA requires users to input a temporary code unique to them to verify their identity. This creates an extra layer of security by adding one more element to the authentication process. If a user’s login credentials are compromised, malicious actors won’t be able to access the resources since they would need to have both the login credentials and the 2FA code.  One of the most widely used methods of 2FA is an SMS-based code, where the user ne...
Read more

What is Ransomware & How to Prevent it?

Hackers are looking for a new and easier way to make money by entering on other people's system and ransomware is one of the tools they use to make money by locking the computer of people and organization. In my previous article, I discussed cryptojacking malware and why it is a big threat to information security. On that article, you can read how and why bad guys are injecting code on people's computer to make money from that. Ransomware is another major threat to cyberspace that I would like to discuss this article. What is ransomware? Ransomware is a software that is designed to block access to any system, files or operating system until we pay a certain amount to the attacker. Most of the time the attacker will encrypt the files of the computer and they will provide the key to decrypt only after paying the amount they are demanding. Most of the ransomware attack will give very limited time to the victim to pay the demanded amount and if they fail to decrypt it within th...
Read more

Triton: A Malware That can Kill Human

When we think of malware we think of a program that is designed to harm a computer device, servers or network. But these days bad guys are creating malware targetting the critical infrastructure which can deliberately kill people. Malware that is targetting critical infrastructure and human damage is not new in the cyberspace as there were few other cases before like Stuxnet but nowadays such malware is increasing at an alarming rate. Recently one malware was detected by an experienced cyber responder Julian Gutmanis which could pose a serious threat to human life. The malware was found on the server of the petrochemical plant in Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2017. The initial vector of malware infection is still unknown but it could be the result of a phishing attack. Hacker managed to deploy their malicious program on the plant's safety instrumented system so that they could have full control of the safety system of the plant. Hackers were able to control the plant's system...
Read more