As the popularity of cryptocurrency has skyrocketed over the past several years, the new denominations of minable currency have not been overlooked by crafty cybercriminals, who have developed a code to steal the mining resources of unsuspecting victims.
This class of code, referred to as cyptojackers, oftentimes shows little indication of its presence. Nevertheless, a simple check of your system’s CPU or GPU usage can tip you off to what’s going on in your PC. Victims of cryptojacking may also notice a spike in their electricity costs, as the resources necessary to mine digital currency drain a large amount of power.
One new indicator that you may be infected with a malicious crypto miner is the Energy.exe process. It is used by a crypto miner Trojan, and this type of malware can also cause damage to your computer’s hardware components by overworking it and causing a major surge of heat.
If you notice performance changes to your computer, for instance, if it takes a long while to load any program, you should check your computer’s CPU and GPU usage. Don’t forget to check the list of running processes for Energy.exe, but bear in mind that this cryptojacker could be just the tip of an iceberg. Malware apps often travel in packs, so if you have one malicious Trojan on board, you likely have a few more, too. To be sure of what’s going on with your computer, run a full system scan with a powerful anti-malware tool.
How Do I Remove Cryptojackers Like the One Associated With the Energy.exe Process?
Needless to say, you should also perform regular computer scans for cryptojackers and other threats with a malware remediation tool. That way, you can immediately address any malware apps lingering on your computer.