Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →You usually can’t tell by watching your PC. Heat, loud fans, high CPU or GPU use and slowdowns are reasons to investigate, but they don’t prove mining. Their absence doesn’t clear an installer either. In a campaign Microsoft described in May 2026, the miner watched GPU activity and stopped when usage was high or the PC wasn’t idle. A gamer could play normally and never notice it.
The reliable approach is to check where the installer came from before you run it, keep PUA blocking and antivirus on, and know what to do if you’ve already run something doubtful.
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Why performance symptoms are a clue, not a verdict
Cryptomining software uses your processor or graphics card to do work for someone else. Microsoft says some potentially unwanted apps (PUAs) may secretly use a PC for cryptomining. Symptoms that justify a closer look:
- Fans spinning up while the PC sits idle
- Sustained CPU or GPU load you can’t link to anything you opened
- Unusual heat or battery drain on a laptop
- A system that feels slower than before the install
Every one of these also has innocent causes, such as shader compilation, game updates, background indexing or a driver problem. And the reverse doesn’t hold: Microsoft’s May 2026 report, from Microsoft Defender Experts and the Microsoft Defender Security Research Team, describes malware that paused mining when it saw high GPU activity or a non-idle device. So “my game runs fine” is not evidence of safety.
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Step 1: Verify the source before you open the installer
Source checking catches more than any after-the-fact symptom. Microsoft recommends trusted sources such as the Microsoft Store, along with regularly updated antivirus and current Windows, browser and app updates.
- Go to the publisher or a major storefront directly. Type the address or use a bookmark rather than clicking a search result. Ads and lookalike pages can sit above the real site.
- Confirm the publisher name matches the developer of the game, and that the file type is what that store normally delivers.
- Be wary of mirrors, “repacks” and re-hosted downloads of games that are paid or otherwise distributed officially.
- Treat unexpected bundles as a stop sign. Extra “optimizer”, “launcher” or “driver” offers inside an installer are a common route for unwanted software.
- Be suspicious of ZIP archives that contain an executable plus loose DLL files when you expected a normal installer.
The real-world example is instructive. Microsoft’s 2026 report documented malicious lookalike sites impersonating familiar system utilities, delivering an archive with a legitimate executable alongside a malicious DLL. Microsoft said it identified more than 150 malicious domains since March 2026 serving such tools. That concerns utilities, not game installers, and it isn’t a prevalence figure for games or for cryptojacking overall. It does show how convincing the fake download page can be.
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Step 2: Turn on protection that flags unwanted apps
Keep Microsoft Defender (or your current antivirus) updated, and enable PUA blocking. Microsoft recommends leaving blocking on and enabling both app blocking and download blocking. The difference matters:
| Setting | What it does | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Block apps | Can detect a PUA that was downloaded with any browser | Acts when the app is encountered, not when you click the download link |
| Block downloads | Blocks PUA downloads | Works only in Microsoft Edge, per Microsoft’s support page |
On recent Windows versions this is typically under Windows Security > App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings, but labels shift between versions. No filter catches every new threat, particularly freshly built malware.
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Understand what a PUA warning means
Microsoft classifies PUAs as a category separate from malware, and its classification guidance says they are not considered malware. A PUA alert is therefore not proof of infection. It is still a good reason to stop, read the detection name and decide whether you actually need that software. A malware detection, by contrast, should be treated as an incident.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Step 3: If you already ran the installer
Don’t wait for symptoms. Work through this sequence:
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- Stop using the PC for sensitive activity (banking, password changes) if anything looks like wider compromise, such as software you didn’t install or remote-access tools you don’t recognize.
- Uninstall unwanted software in Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps. Remove anything you didn’t intend to install, including odd “utility” or remote-management programs.
- Update security intelligence in Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection updates.
- Run a full scan under Virus & threat protection > Scan options > Full scan.
- If the unwanted software persists, run Microsoft Defender Offline from the same Scan options screen. It restarts the PC and scans outside the normal Windows session.
These are Microsoft’s recommended steps, but they don’t guarantee remediation. If detections keep returning or you see signs of remote access, consider backing up your files and reinstalling Windows.
Why a miner detection may not be the whole story
The 2026 campaign combined mining with persistence and abused remote-management software: the attackers used the legitimate ScreenConnect tool for ongoing access. Microsoft Defender Experts noted: “The tool itself is not at fault; rather, the threat actor abuses its legitimate capabilities to establish persistent remote access consistent with a broader pattern of remote monitoring and management (RMM) tool abuse observed across the threat landscape.” That statement refers to ScreenConnect/ConnectWise Control in that campaign. The practical point is that if a miner was found, also check for remote-access software you never installed, and change important passwords from a clean device.
What you can and can’t conclude
| Observation | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| High CPU/GPU use, heat, noise | Worth investigating; many benign causes |
| Normal performance | Nothing reliable; some miners pause while you’re active |
| Clean antivirus scan | No known detection; not a certification that the file is safe |
| Official publisher or store source | Strongest single indicator, though not absolute |
| PUA warning | Unwanted software, possibly mining; not necessarily malware |
This guidance is Windows-focused and based on Microsoft’s documentation. No prevalence data for cryptomining in free game installers is available from those sources, so treat the threat as real but unquantified. The best protection is to be selective about where installers come from, since a hidden miner may never show itself.
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