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What does crypto mining malware do?
It takes processing power from a device or cloud account to perform cryptocurrency-mining calculations for someone else’s benefit. Malwarebytes defines cryptojacking as secretly using a device’s processing power to mine cryptocurrency without permission. The distinction is consent: authorized mining is not cryptojacking.
Mining code can be installed on a computer like other malware, or it can run in a web browser from code embedded in a page. In cloud attacks, criminals may compromise an organization’s account, create virtual machines, and use those machines for mining. Microsoft describes this kind of cloud resource abuse as a way to generate unauthorized compute charges, and account access can enable additional malicious activity.
How is it different from legitimate mining?
The code’s purpose does not by itself establish whether it is malware. A person or organization can choose to mine cryptocurrency using resources it controls. Mining becomes cryptojacking when someone uses those resources without the owner’s knowledge or authorization.
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There is also a product-classification distinction. Microsoft’s own security framework places some cryptomining applications in an enterprise potentially unwanted application category; under Microsoft’s stated criteria, potentially unwanted applications are not classified as malware. That is Microsoft’s product policy, not a universal legal definition.
How does cryptojacking reach a device or cloud account?
Installed malware
A victim may install a miner after opening a malicious email attachment, clicking a suspicious link, or downloading a compromised program. Malware can also arrive through a compromised or vulnerable website. Microsoft Defender Experts reported one campaign on May 26, 2026, in which poisoned search results and malicious downloads delivered GPU-mining malware alongside persistent remote access. That is an example of a particular campaign, not a measure of how common cryptojacking is overall.
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Browser-based mining
Mining code can run through a web page rather than being installed as a conventional program. A browser may use processing resources while the page is open, so activity can ease when the page is closed. Browser-based mining is still unauthorized if the visitor has not agreed to it.
Cloud compute abuse
In a cloud attack, criminals may first gain access to an organization’s tenant, then provision virtual machines, install miners, and connect them to mining pools. The resulting compute use can appear as an unexpected cloud bill or unusual resource activity rather than as a visibly infected employee computer.
What are the signs of crypto mining malware?
Potential clues include:
- Unusual slowness or high processor use, especially when the device is otherwise idle.
- Fans running harder or more often, or a device becoming unusually hot.
- Faster-than-usual battery drain.
- Unexpected electricity costs or cloud compute charges.
These symptoms are not proof of infection. Heat, battery drain, and poor performance can have many other causes, so investigate with trusted security tools or your organization’s security team rather than diagnosing an infection from one symptom alone.
Quick Recap
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How can you reduce the risk?
For personal devices
- Keep the operating system, browser, and security software updated.
- Use reputable, current endpoint protection and avoid suspicious links, attachments, and downloads.
- If resource use changes unexpectedly, check active apps and browser tabs, then run a scan with a trusted security tool. Do not download an unknown “miner detector” or delete system files based only on high CPU use.
For organizations and cloud environments
- Protect cloud accounts with strong access controls and grant users only the permissions they need.
- Monitor for unexpected virtual-machine provisioning, unusual compute use, and quota changes.
- Use endpoint and cloud workload protections appropriate to the environment, and investigate unexpected resource use promptly.
- For the campaign it reported in May 2026, Microsoft recommended cloud-delivered antivirus protection and applicable attack surface reduction rules. Those measures address that observed threat; no single control guarantees protection from every attack.
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