Claude-Built Mac Temperature App Uncovers XMRig Cryptominer Using 12 CPU Cores at 112°C

A temperature-monitoring app built with Claude helped a Mac owner discover a cryptominer that had been using the computer’s resources, according to Wccftech.

The Mac was reaching 112°C, the temperature cited as its thermal-throttling limit, and was running sluggishly. The miner was identified as XMRig. Wccftech says XMRig is often bundled with malware to consume a system’s resources.

The owner, identified on Reddit as “u/UntilHEX,” had Claude develop an app to monitor temperatures on macOS. To check whether the app worked accurately, the Redditor asked Claude to run accuracy tests. The source says that this process uncovered the cryptominer, which was using all 12 CPU cores.

The report does not provide further details about how the miner got onto the Mac or how long it had been running. It also does not describe what steps, if any, were taken after its discovery.