14 DAY TRIAL // Bitcoin mining software has been detected to be part of third party applications inadvertently installed by users together with legitimate applications.
Following a request for assistance from one of their users, Malwarebytes discovered recently that some third party programs, generically called PUPs or PUAs (potentially unwanted programs/applications), integrate bitcoin mining software that is deployed on the user’s system.
Most of the times digital hammering of bitcoins is carried out surreptitiously, without user’s consent.
However, according to Malwarebytes in this case it appears that the procedure is stipulated in the EULA (end user license agreement) of the advertising company that installs the mining utility with the legitimate software the user actually wants to use.
Bitcoin mining requires plenty of system resources and the outcome on a regular computer is blottlenecking performance to even half of its otherwise potential. This has opened the market for machines specifically built for such purpose.
The process causing the slowdown has been identified as “jh1c.exe” and it belongs to the “jhProtominer” mining utility. Although it can be stopped and deleted the parent process will recreate and rename it.
Most antivirus products integrate PUP detection and some of them are quite diligent about this, so having this option activated will help trim down the amount of unwanted apps on your PC.