7 Signs Your Computer Has Been Hacked
Living in today’s digital world has its benefits and risks. Hackers accessing your computer and your smartphone are one of them. Hackers can install spyware, for instance, in your computer, and it gathers information from your computer, usually credit card, passwords, system files, and financial information, and in extreme cases, screen capture. Because of this, staying alert about what is happening on your device is vital. To prevent hackers, use reputable antimalware, stream on legit sites, such as 1337x, use strong passwords, and do not open suspicious links. Below are some signs to show you may be a hacking victim, and you may not be aware of it.
Your webcam randomly starts recording.
When your webcam or microphone turns on itself, it is a sign of infection. And this is not for the hackers to see you in an uncompromising position. It is to catch the various passwords as you type them. Also, detecting unknown sending and receiving lights is a warning indication that someone is controlling your computer. You can notice this warning, especially if your computer is idle. So, learn to block emails, especially spam mail, to protect your device.
The computer starts running slower.
Is your computer taking forever to open or turn on applications? It may have a malware infection. For this to happen, the malware consumes many CPU resources. As a result, it overloads your computer, making it run slower. But computers can also be slow for other reasons, and this is just one of them. For instance, if you have a full hard disk, lack of maintenance, and more. Therefore, it is not definite if it has a bug or is hacked.
Websites stop responding
Not just one or two websites but multiple ones of various content can stop responding suddenly if your computer is hacked. Plus, if you are at work and your colleagues in the same network are not experiencing the same and are accessing the same sites, it is a sign something is wrong with your computer. In this case, have a professional technician look at it for further advice.
Your home page is different.
Everyone who constantly uses their computer has a homepage their computer takes them to when they open their browser. If it is an unfamiliar page, you may be a hacking victim. Another sign of spyware is if you type a search term and a different browser pops up with a list of website results for your search. So, if you realize your browser settings are modified, and you cannot change them, it is a warning sign, too.
You start seeing more pop-up ads.
If you suddenly have browser plug-ins or add-ins you did not install, your computer may be infected. Also, you can tell you are hacked if your web seems full of pop-up advertisements. Sometimes, signs of potential malware are mysterious tools or files appearing on your toolbars or computer that you did not install. In other cases, people find their antivirus software is unresponsive to some system tools that are not working.
Your apps act up
An approach hackers use to collect data is injecting attacker code into the target application. The result is that your apps run slowly or frequently crash. In some cases, an antivirus warning can pop up. Do not ignore it or presume it has removed the virus. Therefore, if you see malware detection, it does not delete the virus but lets you know you have a possible malware issue.
Your fans go into hyper-speed
Always pay attention to the battery life and physical temperature of the machine. This is a simple way to know if your mobile device has spyware or other viruses consuming processing power. For this reason, if you need to charge your phone three or more times a day, the fan is running more than half the time. If it is always hot in your handbag or pocket, it is a sign malware is running a high amount of CPU power.
