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Old 01-20-2021, 10:05 AM   #1
Robert Fischer
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Question Virus: Cryptojacking malware, temp solution

My Laptop takes off like a 'Jet engine', fan whizzing, the ac adapter hub gets hot, etc...


But, when I press Alt+Ctrl+Del and open task manager(itself a very light resource) = Amazingly my computer calms down.


"Cryptojacking is a form of malware that hides on your device and steals its computing resources in order to mine for valuable online currencies like Bitcoin."

Anyone know of way to rid this malware? Apparently it's very advanced, and disguised or attached to some mandatory process or another...

It may even have been included in the manufacture process... (unfortunately, also had some things the excel, and security that soon ran out of free use, not in love with the deal that I received for the price that I paid...)

from the time of purchase, I have searched Windows 10 etc Help articles, Regarding the 'jet engine', to no avail...

recently, opening the task manager has been an odd coincidence of working, but I find that it works every time... and I've read about crytpojacking which I do not understand

googled the task manager 'trick' and found others with the same problem/solution


have no idea if anyone else's computer seems to be a resource hog, interested in feedback , and tips
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Last edited by Robert Fischer; 01-20-2021 at 10:07 AM.
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Old 01-20-2021, 10:31 AM   #2
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While I am not the guy to help fix this...
What you described does not automatically indicate malware.

Could it be? Sure.
But it could also be a normal task firing off that has an issue.
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Old 01-20-2021, 11:38 AM   #3
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While I am not the guy to help fix this...
What you described does not automatically indicate malware.

Could it be? Sure.
But it could also be a normal task firing off that has an issue.
Good point, Dave.
I agree.

It could even be randomness.

Could be a normal task firing off.

One thing that was annoying was the "Intel Optane memory" or similarly named task. Laptop is not quite that fast/powerful, and the caching of memory was self-defeating in terms of resource usage for that new feature., so that is a thing I generally close upon restarting...

So yea, there is some uncertainty involved.

That said, there's some chance that this malware is the issue.
Something is causing a resource bonanza, when task manager is not open.

I can have the laptop doing nothing, and it goes wild VRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOMMM it's almost unbearable...

but now since I noticed it again, opened task manager, I have 5 sets of Microsoft Edge windows (pps for GP, Tam, Mah, PRX, RANDOM), 56processes indicated(just for edge alone), and the laptop is quiet, and the AC adapter box has cooled.

I don't know for sure, but thought it was interesting
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Last edited by Robert Fischer; 01-20-2021 at 11:42 AM.
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Old 01-20-2021, 05:32 PM   #4
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I have 5 sets of Microsoft Edge windows (pps for GP, Tam, Mah, PRX, RANDOM), 56processes indicated(just for edge alone)
Bingo!
I get the same thing with my browser, Opera, if I open a second 'private' window to scan the online news feeds that allow, say, 10 free articles before you hit the paywall (yes, I am cheap). Opera starts a multitude of instances and my old laptop does the same 'jet engine' thing with the fan and the CPU goes to 100%.
When you look at Task Manager you can sort the columns by clicking in the header (i.e. where it says CPU) and you will see what is using the most CPU cycles. I expect you will see your browser at the top of the list but maybe not. If it's something else, you can kill it (right click on the item line and select 'end task') and let us know what it is/was.
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Old 01-20-2021, 06:33 PM   #5
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Red Knave's post made me think...

1. What OS are you running?
2. 64-bit OS?
3. How much RAM do you have?


I've seen guys running Win10-64 with like 6GB of RAM and they get this stuff a lot.

Combine low RAM with what Red Knave said, and you have a situation where the system is swapping out all the time.

What do you think, Red?
Fit the narrative?


BTW, this is why I moved away from Chrome. That was difficult because I love the features. Then I found Brave.

Brave is based upon the Chromium engine. It is basically, a de-bloated Chrome. Thus, you don't get like 5 processes when you open the browser, or the multiple crash handlers that are present all the time.
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Old 01-21-2021, 12:23 PM   #6
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some confusion

what I'm saying is my power usage is crazy when doing basically nothing, but when I open 'task manager' (alt ctrl del , task mgr), and it uses LESS immediately,

then I can even have 50 processes open with all my horse stuff on 5 full tracks running, and it uses LESS power usage than before i did the task mgr thing...


there seems to be something with my computer that's using power, that then stops/decreases-significantly once Task Manager is opened.

Hence my tip and question as to whether this is happening to others.

again, as I said to Dave - it could be something else and not malware, but it could also be malware.


------------------------------


now, I AGREE 100%

with the separate discussion of how these browsers use additional processes which is disgusting.

I'm going to give Brave Browser a look
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Old 01-21-2021, 02:25 PM   #7
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some confusion

what I'm saying is my power usage is crazy when doing basically nothing, but when I open 'task manager' (alt ctrl del , task mgr), and it uses LESS immediately,

again, as I said to Dave - it could be something else and not malware, but it could also be malware.


------------------------------


now, I AGREE 100%

with the separate discussion of how these browsers use additional processes which is disgusting.

I'm going to give Brave Browser a look
And now I think it might be something else - like a hardware problem.

Sure, some running task is triggering it, but this is usually caused by something like overheating, bad fan (maybe a processor fan), etc.

Could your processor be over-clocked?
Note: This stuff is out of my wheelhouse. Just guessing

As for the 2nd part... What do you suppose a malware product gains by turning up your usage?

Asking a 2nd time:
OS?
RAM?
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Old 01-21-2021, 02:35 PM   #8
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Quote:
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When you look at Task Manager you can sort the columns by clicking in the header (i.e. where it says CPU) and you will see what is using the most CPU cycles. I expect you will see your browser at the top of the list but maybe not. If it's something else, you can kill it (right click on the item line and select 'end task') and let us know what it is/was.
When I have more than one window open and hear my cooling fans rev up and hang there, I also go to task manager and the culprit usually is easy to spot. Whether its ads or whatever, I take the part of the browser exe I don't recognize and kill it.
Also restarting a browser and watching task manager may offer a clue if you're not familiar with any of it.
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Old 01-21-2021, 06:56 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Schwartz View Post
OS?
RAM?
Windows 10 , 8GB.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Schwartz View Post
What do you suppose a malware product gains by turning up your usage?
I don't have an understanding of it.
Apparently there is some process called 'mining'

http://crypto.marketswiki.com/index.php?title=Mining

http://crypto.marketswiki.com/index....%20or%20Monero.

basically if it is occurring, it is using processor power (and I don't know if it's just each individual computer, or able to do a parallel thing w/ multiple computers) and running an algorithm to mine bitcoin or other cryptocurrency.

I have no idea how that works. Only that it exists. Feel free to read the page or google it.


OK, reading it;

"many people use similar mining methods to the original bitcoin model, which is based on a function called proof-of-work. In this model, mining cryptocurrency is the process by which users, or nodes within a blockchain network, generate new digital tokens by calculating the validity of a cryptocurrency transaction, which involves using enormous amounts of computing power to solve a cryptographic problem by trial and error. Once the problem is solved, another "block," or cluster of data, is added to the blockchain. Once it's there, it can be viewed by anyone with an Internet connection.[1] As an incentive for contributing to the overall computational power of the blockchain network by verifying transactions, users are sometimes rewarded with cryptocurrency "tokens" or "coins," such as a bitcoin,"

This seems to me like a massively parallel processor network(s), which rewards malicious (or otherwise) contributors of processing power for 'blocks' of work, with bitcoin or other payment as an incentive.

News to me, and I don't have an understanding of it, but my computer behaves in such a way which indicates a significant probability of such malware attempting to use my processor with a program that 'hides' once task manager is opened.

Probably not the place to post this tip, but this is one of my base websites of use, and I don't really care enough to go deeper in tech sites or reddit or wherever. I'm not sure it will be understood or received here, but, it's here to read, and maybe would spur something useful, like the Brave Browser, or talk of multiple processes.
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Old 01-21-2021, 07:02 PM   #10
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Usually, crypto mining uses your GPU...pretty sure CPUs aren't the intended target...
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Old 01-21-2021, 09:47 PM   #11
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Quote:
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My Laptop takes off like a 'Jet engine', fan whizzing, the ac adapter hub gets hot, etc...
Believe it or not, the Power supply usually causes a high speed jet fan and /or lots of dust on the cooling fins. Take the cooling fan off and clean the gunk from the proc's cooling fan and top of processor. Then use a dab of Arctic Silver thermal paste on the proc and reinstall. I had a similar problem and this resolved it.
Darn, I just noticed you said it was a laptop and not a PC, but maybe these things will still help. Good luck. I hope you get it resolved.
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Old 01-21-2021, 10:05 PM   #12
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Usually, crypto mining uses your GPU...pretty sure CPUs aren't the intended target...
Actually, I have heard of people hijacking other's machines to mine for bit coin.

https://scholarlyoa.com/bitcoin-miner-virus/


However, my money is on Longshot6977...

Quote:
Believe it or not, the Power supply usually causes a high speed jet fan and /or lots of dust on the cooling fins. Take the cooling fan off and clean the gunk from the proc's cooling fan and top of processor. Then use a dab of Arctic Silver thermal paste on the proc and reinstall. I had a similar problem and this resolved it.
Darn, I just noticed you said it was a laptop and not a PC, but maybe these things will still help. Good luck. I hope you get it resolved.
One concern I have is that things only rev up when the system goes into inactivity.
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Old 01-22-2021, 10:26 AM   #13
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thanks all for good suggestions, and advice

for now, as long as I open 'task manager', - my computer runs smoothly with appropriate usage,
- and can run smoothly/appropriately w/ a surprising amount of stuff (like PPs for every track, equibase charts, multiple ADWs, youtube, webchats) all at the same time, with no problem.

I don't know know why. I don't have the knowledge/competence of it, but as long as task manager is open, it's cool.

and, yes, I'm aware that this isn't proof of such malware.
Just a possibility.

as phil collins once said, repeatedly "I don't careee any mo(oh)

it's a mildly interesting thing... Dave's article has some good stuff.
I've googled some stuff, that ranged from trying to sell me advanced versions of malwarebytes related programs, to standard endless loops of generic windows 10 'help' tasks, to crazy sounding people 'shouting' that it was cryptojacking, ... and I did my due diligence / all the freakin' time i'm willing to spend on this crap before throwing in the dumpster

but for now, i'm OK, with opening the task manager every time.
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Last edited by Robert Fischer; 01-22-2021 at 10:28 AM.
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Old 01-23-2021, 11:16 AM   #14
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Back to inactivity being a precursor to maximum CPU usage there is a bit of logic there. Many programs have background tasks that check for quiet periods when there is little or no I/O to do clean-up tasks or check for and download updates etc. Maybe they don't regulate or monitor themselves and ultimately peg the CPU at 100.
I had a laptop years ago where the fan started running more and more often and faster and faster and finally the computer refused to boot. Taking it apart I saw that the heatsink/fan connection had come away from the CPU. Over time the heat from the CPU had broken down the thermal paste that cemented it to the heatsink and the CPU eventually died.

Quote:
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BTW, this is why I moved away from Chrome. That was difficult because I love the features. Then I found Brave.
I've been looking at Brave lately too. I also see that Ghostery now has a browser in beta right now.

I don't like ads so for a while I ran a separate raspberry pi computer running an app called pi-hole that actually trapped a very high percentage of ads and sent them to a 'black hole' (hence the app's name). It looks to the sending site as if the ads are being rendered in your browser so the website doesn't complain about you using an ad-blocker. The downside was that it also prevented some tracking links from emails and shopping sites from working. My wife complained that she was getting errors preventing her from going to certain websites when she clicked the links. So, of course, I'm not running that any more.
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Old 01-30-2021, 02:08 PM   #15
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Believe it or not, the Power supply usually causes a high speed jet fan and /or lots of dust on the cooling fins. Take the cooling fan off and clean the gunk from the proc's cooling fan and top of processor. Then use a dab of Arctic Silver thermal paste on the proc and reinstall. I had a similar problem and this resolved it.
Darn, I just noticed you said it was a laptop and not a PC, but maybe these things will still help. Good luck. I hope you get it resolved.
Thank you for this recommendation. My desktop is now loads significantly faster with a new ability to maintain several tabs of live streaming data without the former high speed jet fan noise. Unbuffered video jumped from 720 to 1440 as well.
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