Has your privacy ever been invaded and shortly after, you have trouble trusting that it won’t happen again? If it hasn’t happened to you, you’re one of the lucky ones.
Unfortunately there are vicious hackers out there in the IT world, as we’ve seen recently with what could potentially be one of the largest breaches of data to the United States—affecting more than 4 million federal employees.
To make sure that this doesn’t happen to your information—keep an eye out for these signs of hacking:
1. Antivirus Messages We Would Like to Believe are Real
It’s commonplace to see those pesky anti-virus messages pop up on the computer screen. In fact, it seems almost inevitable and it usually happens when you’re doing something important. Unfortunately once you see the message, it may be too late even if you try your hardest to click the cancel button as soon as you see it.
2. Popups That You Can’t Escape
If you’re seeing frequent pop ups, it is a sure sign that you’ve been hacked. Not only are they annoying, but they can simultaneously hinder your system.
3. It May Not Be That You Changed Your Password and Forgot It This Time
If your password suddenly changes, and you know for a fact that you remember it, it’s a sign that you’ve been hacked. Whatever service the password was used for is now in the hands of the hacker—pretending to be you.
4. Is That You Moving the Mouse?
If your mouse suddenly starts making selections and choosing incorrect choices, a hacker is involved. It may happen after-hours, when the desktop has been out of use for a while, giving the hacker the ability to break into bank accounts or steal information.
5. Software Appears That You Didn’t Install
Worms will try and disguise themselves as real programs and install themselves on your computer. Sometimes programs will install themselves from another program that you installed after reading the legal agreement.
What Can You do to Protect Yourself from Hackers?
- When logging into Wi-Fi in a public place, you are making yourself vulnerable to hackers. Also, be cautious of the websites you visit while logged into the public network.
- Look for unwanted programs and toolbars that you didn’t install on your computer and delete them as soon as possible.
- Run an antivirus scan on your computer if you feel like something just isn’t right.
- Make your passwords complex and change them often. Making them complex involves using symbols, a mixture of upper and lower case letters and numbers.
- Never click on links in e-mails that you don’t recognize and don’t download from a website that you are unfamiliar with.
It’s important to be aware of your surroundings while surfing the web at all times. Explore preventative options, like switching to a cloud-based data center, before a hacker has the chance to access your information.
