[SOLVED] Facebook causing processor to jump 28 degrees.. Just started today.

Brandon_77

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Apr 17, 2016
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I'm having an odd problem.

Today, and I've checked it several times since the first occurrence, checking notifications on Facebook via Google Chrome and Firefox, both freeze the page and send my CPU temp between 72-78 celsius, turning on the fan to a fairly high speed. I have tried other websites and have monitored my temps while running Black Ops 3: Cold War, and my temps stay lower and do not spike like that , even with Call of Duty (running around in a solo map). I've also tried clearing cookies/cache to no avail.

How in the -world- is this occurring? I've recently built this computer from scratch and did struggle a little seating the cooling unit on the processor. But, that just doesn't make a ton of sense to me, since it stays cooler running a fairly demanding game over checking a notification on Facebook. Once I close the page and Chrome, the temps recede back to normal.

This seems to me like a software issue.

Any thoughts?

Thank you.

Ryzen 7 3700X w/ Prism cooling unit
2 case fans
GTX 970
ASUS Tuf Gaming 450B mobo
16GB DDR4
Windows 10 Home
Google Chrome and Firefox
 
Solution
There's a lot of sites that apparently are cryptomining on user's hardware. I discovered this via a setting in firefox's security talking about disabling these 'features'. It's getting absolutely nuts where site owners and browser makers are working together to mine crypto currancy on people's systems without their permission. But I guess this is the next evolution in 'doing things without your permission'.

I would check your browser settings to see if you have the crypto mining settings turned off as they are on by default. If that changes anything, it will be a clue to the problem.

The other way to check this is to boot up a linux live cd/usb and see how these sites tax your system there. If they don't, it's some sort of...
There's a lot of sites that apparently are cryptomining on user's hardware. I discovered this via a setting in firefox's security talking about disabling these 'features'. It's getting absolutely nuts where site owners and browser makers are working together to mine crypto currancy on people's systems without their permission. But I guess this is the next evolution in 'doing things without your permission'.

I would check your browser settings to see if you have the crypto mining settings turned off as they are on by default. If that changes anything, it will be a clue to the problem.

The other way to check this is to boot up a linux live cd/usb and see how these sites tax your system there. If they don't, it's some sort of windows issue, and I suspect a very nefarious one using your hardware to process something really intensive.
 
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Solution

Brandon_77

Distinguished
Apr 17, 2016
20
1
18,515
There's a lot of sites that apparently are cryptomining on user's hardware. I discovered this via a setting in firefox's security talking about disabling these 'features'. It's getting absolutely nuts where site owners and browser makers are working together to mine crypto currancy on people's systems without their permission. But I guess this is the next evolution in 'doing things without your permission'.

I would check your browser settings to see if you have the crypto mining settings turned off as they are on by default. If that changes anything, it will be a clue to the problem.

The other way to check this is to boot up a linux live cd/usb and see how these sites tax your system there. If they don't, it's some sort of windows issue, and I suspect a very nefarious one using your hardware to process something really intensive.
Oh my god. I would have never even suspected something like that. Thank so much for this suggestion. That does make sense... but on Facebook?

I put on MinerBlocker extension and the spiking has stopped. I couldn't find a setting in Chrome about crypto. Scanned with my free Avast and also scanned with Chrome. Windows Defender didn't find anything either. Hopefully this works.
 

Brandon_77

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Apr 17, 2016
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Bitdefender, eSET and Kaspersky detect mining scripts, but it may be just browsers using hardware acceleration as well.

I ran a BitDefender scan and turned off Avast/MinerBlocker to see it caught anything. Computer is clean according to it and the other scans.
I did find a code loop Chrome error, however, when I killed the page last night. That might have been the culprit. But, it doesn't hurt to know about the whole cryptojack thing. Kinda surprised to have a code loop on Facebook, but I guess it's possible.

Gonna go ahead and mark this as solved. Thanks for your help guys.
 

Brandon_77

Distinguished
Apr 17, 2016
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Bitdefender, eSET and Kaspersky detect mining scripts, but it may be just browsers using hardware acceleration as well.

RE: Hardware acceleration - that might have actually been what was going on if it was in a code loop, in theory, right? I thought Chrome would automatically terminate a code loop though.
 
Oh my god. I would have never even suspected something like that. Thank so much for this suggestion. That does make sense... but on Facebook?

I put on MinerBlocker extension and the spiking has stopped. I couldn't find a setting in Chrome about crypto. Scanned with my free Avast and also scanned with Chrome. Windows Defender didn't find anything either. Hopefully this works.
Why not? They don't make money from advertising. ;)

I wouldn't use another potential malware software to fight another bad one. Just learn what's clean and shut stuff off. The defaults on these softwares are for their benefit, not yours. Nothing is free.