CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1102) — Question 180

An internet café has several computers available for public use. Recently, users have reported the computers are much slower than they were the previous week. A technician finds the CPU is at 100% utilization, and antivirus scans report no current infection. Which of the following is MOST likely causing the issue?

Answer options

• A. Spyware is redirecting browser searches.
• B. A cryptominer is verifying transactions.
• C. Files were damaged from a cleaned virus infection.
• D. A keylogger is capturing user passwords.

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is B, as a cryptominer consumes significant CPU resources to verify transactions, leading to high utilization. Option A, while it involves malware, typically does not cause such extreme CPU usage. Option C refers to file corruption which is less likely to affect CPU performance directly, and option D, though concerning security, would not necessarily lead to 100% CPU utilization.