Cortana Runtime Broker Cpu Miner

Both Cortana and the Runtime Broker process are legitimate components of the Windows 10 OS. The Runtime Broker, for example, is a process that can usually be found among the active items listed in the Task Manager. It is responsible for managing the permissions for applications from the Microsoft Store. Typically, neither of the two components should take up a significant portion of the system's resources. However, if your Runtime Broker process uses more than 15% of the total memory, it is a sign of a potentially serious issue. If either Cortana or the Runtime Broker process is taking up even more than that, especially from the CPU's output, then there might be a crypto-miner malware present on the system.

Crypto-miners are hurtful threats that hijack the device's hardware resources and use them to mine for a specific cryptocurrency. These threats often assume the identity of legitimate processes, as a way to remain unnoticed. However, due to excessive utilization, the affected system could become unstable and users may begin experiencing slowdowns, frequent crashes, or even critical errors. The constant workload also may negatively impact or shorten the lifespan of the hardware components of the computer.