10 Tell Tale Signs Your Computer Has Been Compromised
August 17, 2010 Computer Safety Tip
Is your computer acting strange? Are you experiencing all types of problems and you don’t know where they come 
from? Then your machine may have different types of parasites and malware on it. You need to be aware of the signs of parasites in order to detect them on your computer system and then remove them. There are actually specific signs that you can look out for which will really help you.
1. System Crashes
You may want to know that this is a very big indicating factor that something is wrong. You need to be able to identify any system crashes which may take place in order to be able to know that something is seriously wrong.
2. Your computer is straining
If your machine is making sounds like it’s straining and really struggling, then you will need to be aware of this. Sometimes other things and malicious parasites may actually be making use of your system’s resources, which is why the straining noise takes place.
3. Waiting for programs
If everything is taking forever when you are waiting for programs then this may be seen as one of the major signs that something is seriously wrong with your computer system.
4. Antivirus is disabled
If your antivirus has been disabled then you need to know that this is a huge sign. If there is an X marked next to it, don’t delay because the chances are very high that your machine may be infected.
5. Check out your email
One of the most telling signs that there is something wrong with your machine is by looking at your email. If it is used to send out spam, then you may be at risk. One of the best ways of checking is to actually look and see if there are any messages which you didn’t send yourself.
6. Strange activity
If your security is compromised then you will know this by strange activity happening. You may experience things like programs telling you that your password or user name is no longer valid and this may be an indication that people have been messing around with your computer.
7. Desktop icons have changed
One of the biggest telling signs with regard to knowing if your machine is compromised is by looking at the icons. If icons appear and disappear then this is a sign that something is seriously wrong.
8. Pop-up ads
If you experience many random pop up advertisements then this could be a sign that your computer system has been compromised by malicious cybercriminals. You need to be aware of irritating pop ups.
9. Unable to print
If your computer starts acting strange with regard to the printer as in things just won’t print then this may actually be an indication to you that something is seriously wrong with your computer and you need to check your system out.
10. Waiting for pages
If it takes much longer than usual for pages to load and it seems like you are waiting forever, then the chances may be very high that someone has been messing around with your computer system, which means that your machine is at risk and that you need to be careful.
