How to Detect That Your PC Is Under the Control of Hackers

Today, malware programs are getting more cunning, sophisticated, and invisible, so OS and antiviruses sometimes do not recognize them. There are several signs by which you can find out that your PC has been damaged and now belongs to hackers.

  1. Disabled anti-virus: The first thing that should alert you is that a pre-installed anti-malware program suddenly stops working. It is possible that some malicious code is blocking it.  Be sure to consider options like Cyberlab for help.
  2. Money loss: Some viruses are targeted at stealing cryptocurrencies and money of users. They steal logins and passwords from crypto-wallets and bank accounts, and it will be very difficult to find thieves because usually they are very well masked. If you notice a loss of money, analyze which IP addresses have entered your account. You can check IP and compare it with a list of spam IP addresses. If you have noticed that the money was withdrawn from your address, it means that your computer is under the control of hackers.
  3. Spamming: If suddenly your friends and colleagues began to receive spam-letters from you by email, this may also indicate a PC infection. Warn them not to follow links from your letters.
  4. Social networks blocking: If sites and social networks started logging in and blocking you, it means they discovered a malicious activity that comes from your PC. It is possible that intruders occupied your accounts and you need to change passwords and also check your device for viruses.
  5. New software: Are there any unknown programs on your PC? You may have installed them yourself but there is also a chance that some virus has secretly downloaded them. Program files may be hidden but you can detect the suspicious software by opening the Task Manager.
  6. Advertising: Another sign is the appearance of a large number of ads in your browsers. These ads usually act aggressively: they replace the links of normal sites with redirects to suspicious pages, open in tabs and separate windows banners with offers to watch porn, buy something or play in a casino, and also tries to introduce questionable toolbars into the browser.

 

7. Processor, memory, Internet: Mining viruses heavily load the processor, video card and consume a lot of RAM. This malware turns PCs into a botnet or arranges DDoS attacks, overloading your Internet traffic. Close all programs, open the Task Manager and check if the system is overloaded. If some background processes look suspicious, it is possible that they have been infected by a virus.

8. File disappearance: If files began to vanish or change, this is a sign of the encryption virus. It usually takes several hours to encrypt data and delete the original files, and then it will block the system and require a ransom for decryption.

You are able to get rid of viruses with the help of anti-virus programs or by formatting/replacing the drive. Keep your files safe and do not follow the suspicious links. Good luck!