We all know that malware(they are also computer viruses) pose a threat not only to the operating system, but can also lead to the loss of personal data (documents, photos, audio and video recordings, passwords from bank accounts, etc.) stored on the hard drive of a PC and laptop.
But this is not the only virtual danger that awaits ordinary users. Hackers can also get into your computer. They commit their atrocities with one goal - to take possession of confidential information stored on the PC's hard drive. To avoid getting hooked, pay attention to 7 main signs that indicate a possible hacker attack.
Sign No. 1 - changing personal passwords
One of the most favorite tactics that many hackers follow is changing passwords for a specific user’s personal accounts. This is done simply - by brute force. Usually used for this special programs, which allow you to sort through thousands of possible combinations in a short period of time.
If you have lost access to your account or cannot enter your password (even though you are 100% sure that you are entering the combination correctly), this is most likely the work of hackers. To prevent hacking, you need to follow simple recommendations. First, don't use simple passwords, which contain only numbers or letters (for example, date of birth and initials). Such combinations are easy to crack. It is better to come up with a complex password that contains numbers and letters of different case. Secondly, change your passwords often, even if they are complex.
Sign No. 2 - fake virus on PC
Sometimes a message in the form of a dialog box appears on your PC desktop, warning you that your computer has been attacked by hackers. The calculation in this situation is made for children and novice PC users who are poorly versed in the intricacies of virus infection. Many people, in a slight panic, hopefully click on the link and “open the door” to malware.
This type of virus injection into a computer is the most common among hackers today - gullible people click on the link, thereby doing a big favor to cybercriminals. This is the same as if you gave your credit card with a PIN code to boot. Don’t fall for such scams, otherwise you risk ruining your operating system and losing your personal data. In such situations, you just need to run the check standard antivirus or use the Dr.Web CureIt utility.
Ghost No. 3 - method of direct blackmail
Another effective way hacking, which is based on introducing the user into a state of shock and stress. When visiting suspicious sites (especially Internet resources that contain adult content on their pages and do not have a secure connection channel), a pop-up window with text may appear on your computer screen. The message usually states that you have violated some article federal law and are now required to pay a fine or “pay off” so that the computer is not blocked forever.
According to this scheme, in June 2017, a wave of cyber attacks swept across Russia and Ukraine, as well as some European countries. Unknown Wanna virus Cry blocked computers, encrypted data and demanded a ransom of $500. The ransomware virus caused damage not only ordinary users, but to large international companies. So be careful - when such a window appears, immediately turn off your computer and use the Dr.Web LiveDisk healing utility.
Sign No. 4 - antivirus failure
Many users completely trust their antivirus programs. But better time check them from time to time. Otherwise, one day you may find that active protection virus protection is disabled. This is exactly how enterprising hackers sometimes operate. When they disable your virus scanner, they have full access to the computer and can introduce a virus without any warning signal.
Regularly checking the operation of your antivirus program is the key to your peace of mind. It would also be a good idea to personally monitor updates to the built-in signature database. Sometimes this can save the life of your computer and prevent data loss on your hard drive.
Sign #5 - frequent pop-ups
Many users are familiar with annoying pop-ups on their desktop that constantly need to be closed manually. However, if this happens too often, then be sure to think about what is the reason? Typically, an antivirus instantly blocks any involuntary processes. If for some reason this does not happen, check whether your antivirus program is enabled?
Sign No. 6 - automatic downloading of programs
Programs that are downloaded from the Internet in “exe.” format usually require confirmation before unpacking. However, if software downloaded to your computer from a suspicious site, then after launching the file you may find that additional “devious” applications and browsers are installed on your PC. Moreover, this process occurs automatically (sometimes completely unnoticed by the user).
At best, it won’t remain on the hard drive. free space to download new files, and in the worst case, you will lose control over the operation of the operating system. How to avoid this? Very simple. Pay attention to the site's security rating. Try to download computer programs only from trusted official Internet resources. Before installing the software, it is a good idea to check it for viruses.
Sign No. 7 - “live” arrow on the screen
This is the most obvious type of hacker attack. If the mouse cursor moves chaotically across the screen without your intervention, it’s time to sound the alarm, since control of the computer belongs entirely to the hacker. Having taken possession of the mouse, he can perform any operation on the PC. The surest way to counter a hacker attack is to immediately turn off your PC.
Any user of the VKontakte social network may sooner or later encounter such a problem as hacking of personal data. In this case, the user himself completely or partially loses control over the page: spam is sent to friends on his behalf, provocative or any other message is posted on the wall third party information etc. That is why it is important to know in advance how to understand that you have been hacked on VK in order to respond to the situation in a timely manner.
Characteristic signs of hacking in VK
There are a number of characteristic signs that can help you understand that:
- The status “Online” is displayed on the page at the very time when you are not online. You can record this moment with the help of friends who, at your request, will monitor the activity on your page;
- friends begin to receive spam or mailings supposedly from you that you did not actually send;
- new, unread messages, highlighted in bold, become read;
- You can understand that a VK page has been hacked, as in other social networks, from the settings, see the instructions below;
- I can't sign in using my own password.
Let's take a step-by-step look at how to find out that you have been hacked on VK using the “Settings” menu:
Even if you find out that your VKontakte page has been hacked, like other social networks, you will need to immediately change your password to a more complex one and take a number of other measures to protect your profile.
What to do if you are hacked
If you realize that you have lost control over your VK personal information, you must:
Reliable protection The “Login Confirmation” function provides protection against hacking. This means that each time you log in, you will need to enter a one-time code that is sent to your phone or other connected device. Read more about how to protect your page from hacking in different ways, can be found in a separate article.
The first thing that might make you think about a possible hack is sudden debits of funds that you have nothing to do with. This is a clear sign that fraudsters may have gained access to your card information or have “hijacked” the account of one of the payment services you use.
If your funds balance is always at hand, you will notice suspicious activity quickly. If you rarely check your account and you don’t even have alerts via SMS or email enabled, it’s time to do it.
Messages with codes to confirm purchases that you, of course, did not make, should also under no circumstances be ignored. Regardless of whether you know the sender or not, you must immediately contact the bank.
2. Slowdown of the device
A malware that has infiltrated your computer or smartphone can require a lot of computing power. Therefore, if you notice a decrease in performance that is significant, unexpected and long-term, you must immediately scan your device for viruses and limit any network activity for this period. If no threats were detected, perhaps the reason for the slowdown is .
3. Disabling or interrupting the operation of security programs
If malware has found its way into a system and has taken up residence, it is possible that it will try to close or isolate all security measures that are dangerous to it. A reason to sound the alarm is an involuntary shutdown or inability to start an on-demand computer scan. This situation can be avoided by constantly updating anti-virus databases and downloading applications only from trusted sources.
If your device’s protection has missed at least one piece of malware, there may soon be significantly more of them. A threat rooted on your PC may trigger a download additional tools attackers, which can be represented by both additional software and browser extensions.
You can check which software is active when the computer is running using the “Task Manager” on Windows (call with the combination Ctrl keys+ Alt + Del) and “System Monitor” on macOS (find in the “Utilities” or “Programs” list). In the browser you are using, you need to open the list of all extensions and similarly check what is installed and what runs automatically.
5. Increase the number of pop-ups
Through the browser and some other applications, malware can bombard you with pop-ups asking you to scan your computer or check your account details. These windows often look quite authentic and do not arouse suspicion, but if they begin to appear much more often than before, then this is a reason to think about it.
Now modern browsers And operating systems in general, they cope well with annoying pop-ups, but there is still a possibility that the initiator of displaying the next window or banner is malware that has sneaked onto the PC.
Malicious software may well change system settings. The classic example is change home page your browser or search engine. If you see a completely new and at the same time rather dubious page when loading the same Chrome or Firefox, you should, of course, not follow the links on it.
Change requests need to be monitored especially closely. system settings and issuing permits for new programs. The latter is very relevant in the case of smartphones, where seemingly elementary applications can require a whole list of rights to access the bowels of the gadget.
7. Uncontrolled device activity
If it sometimes seems to you that your computer or smartphone lives its own life, then it is likely that someone is controlling it remotely. This is done through a backdoor application that you may have downloaded along with recently downloaded content.
Such remote access can be tracked by the involuntary exit of the device from sleep mode, sudden activity hard drive when the PC is idle and even during spontaneous movement of the mouse cursor. Fortunately, such blatant hacks are extremely rare these days, especially if you use exclusively licensed software.
In addition to activity within the system, the malware can cause a sudden shutdown or reboot of the device. This may well indicate partial control over the PC and attempts to destabilize the system.
You should panic here only when such outages have become more frequent and there were no prerequisites for this: you do not overload your PC with demanding games and control the heating. In such cases, it is again worth checking the active processes in the “Task Manager” and especially autorun.
9. Sending messages without your knowledge
If they gain access to your mail, attackers will try to spread their tentacles as far as possible. Sending spam on your behalf is the first thing you should pay attention to. Check daily not only new mail, but also the folder of sent letters. If you notice something suspicious, hurry to change it from of this account, and it’s better to do this through another device.
10. Suspicious online activity
You can become a source of spam not only in mail, but also on social networks. Moreover, attackers usually do not limit themselves to just sending messages. If this is, for example, Twitter, a mass of new subscriptions and comments under other people’s posts can indicate that your account has been hacked. And the trouble is that all this can only be discovered after some time, when your account has already been used to the maximum.
You can protect yourself from this only through vigilance, that is, periodically checking the main actions in each specific network. If you find dubious messages and comments that you could not leave even while drunk, be sure to change your password using another device.
11. Denial of access to your accounts
If, when authorizing in one of the services, your standard password suddenly didn’t work, it’s likely that the attackers, having gained access to the account, managed to change it. In the case of a large service or social network, there is no need to panic. The form for recovering and changing your password via email can help you, or direct appeal to technical support.
To increase the level of security for all your accounts and social networks, must be used.
Bottom line
Even if you think that the danger has passed and your account data has not been affected, it is certainly worth playing it safe. Let us remind you once again that it always makes sense to periodically update your account passwords, especially if the same password is used in several services.
If any of your online accounts have been hacked, immediately report it to technical support. Even if you easily restored access, it’s still worth doing this, because you don’t know where the “hijacked” account was used.
On your PC, be sure to install a reliable antivirus with the latest databases, or at least systematically check the system with lightweight portable options. If for some reason you cannot install or run such software on an infected computer, you need to download the program through another device and then try to copy it.
It is possible that for full recovery A system reset may be necessary. In this case, you need to take care of the data that is important to you. Fortunately, it can now be done on any device, regardless of the OS.
Today, hacker attacks are on everyone's lips and everyone is worried about the security of their data. To prevent theft of passwords and other important information, you should pay attention to any changes in your computer.
We suggest checking the checklist of signs that your computer has been hacked. And if your fears are confirmed, we will tell you what to do.
1. Antivirus is disabled
If you haven't disabled it yourself antivirus program, but noticed that it was turned off, this is a sure sign that the computer has been hacked. It cannot turn off on its own. The first thing hackers do is get rid of your antivirus to make it easier to access your files.
2. Passwords don't work
If you haven't changed your passwords, but they suddenly stop working and you can't log into your accounts, it's time to be wary - most likely, the computer has been hacked.
3. The number of friends has increased sharply
4. New icons on the toolbar
When you open your browser and notice new icons in the toolbar, this may indicate that malicious code has infiltrated.
5. The cursor moves on its own
If you notice the mouse cursor moving on its own and highlighting something, this is a sure sign of a hack.
6. Unusual printer behavior
Signs of hacking affect not only the computer itself, but can also appear when working with the printer. For example, when it refuses to print or prints files that you did not send for printing.
7. Redirection to other sites
If your browser keeps redirecting you to other sites, it's time to be wary. Same thing if you enter search query, but no results appear Google search or Yandex, and other pages. The frequent appearance of pop-up windows also indicates hacking.
8. Files were deleted without your participation
If you notice that some programs and files have been moved to the trash bin or deleted completely, but you did not do this, there is no doubt that your computer has been hacked.
9. There is your personal information on the Internet that you have not disclosed.
Check this with a search engine: look for information about yourself that you definitely haven’t disclosed online. If you were able to find it, it means your computer was hacked to steal information.
10. Fake antivirus messages
If windows pop up on your computer warning of a virus infection, but they look different than usual, this is a sign of hacking. You should also be wary if a new antivirus appears on your computer.
11. Unusual webcam behavior
Check your webcam: if its indicator light is blinking on its own, restart your computer and see if it continues to blink after 10 minutes. If the indicator light continues to blink, then your computer has been hacked.
12. The computer is very slow
If at the most simple operations The computer is taking too much time, and the Internet connection has noticeably slowed down, this could also be a sign of hacking.
What to do:
- Warn your friends and recipients email that you have been hacked. Tell them not to open messages from you or click on any links in them.
- Notify your bank about a possible leak of your personal data. Find out from them how to protect your funds.
- Remove all programs that are unfamiliar to you, as well as those that will not start.
- Install a reliable antivirus and scan your system. Some companies release free versions.
- Change passwords on all your accounts.
- If you think the problem is not solved, contact a specialist
Today, hacker attacks are on everyone's lips and everyone is worried about the security of their data. To prevent theft of passwords and other important information, you should pay attention to any changes to your computer.
We suggest checking the checklist of signs that your computer has been hacked. And if your fears are confirmed, we will tell you what to do.
1. Antivirus is disabled
If you have not disabled your antivirus program yourself, but notice that it is turned off, this is a sure sign that your computer has been hacked. It cannot turn off on its own. The first thing hackers do is get rid of your antivirus to make it easier to access your files.
2. Passwords don't work
If you haven't changed your passwords, but they suddenly stop working and you can't log into your accounts, it's time to be wary - most likely, your computer has been hacked.
3. The number of friends has increased sharply
4. New icons on the toolbar
When you open your browser and notice new icons in the toolbar, this may indicate that malicious code has infiltrated.
5. The cursor moves on its own
If you notice the mouse cursor moving on its own and highlighting something, this is a sure sign of a hack.
6. Unusual printer behavior
Signs of hacking affect not only the computer itself, but can also appear when working with the printer. For example, when it refuses to print or prints files that you did not send for printing.
7. Redirection to other sites
If your browser keeps redirecting you to other sites, it's time to be wary. The same thing happens if you enter a search query, and not Google or Yandex search results appear, but other pages. The frequent appearance of pop-up windows also indicates hacking.
8. Files were deleted without your participation
If you notice that some programs and files have been moved to the trash bin or deleted completely, but you did not do this, there is no doubt that your computer has been hacked.
9. There is your personal information on the Internet that you have not disclosed.
Check this with a search engine: look for information about yourself that you definitely haven’t disclosed online. If you were able to find it, it means your computer was hacked to steal information.
10. Fake antivirus messages
If windows pop up on your computer warning of a virus infection, but they look different than usual, this is a sign of hacking. You should also be wary if a new antivirus appears on your computer.
If your computer takes too long to perform the simplest operations, and your Internet connection noticeably slows down, this may also be a sign of hacking.
What to do:
- Warn your friends and email recipients that you have been hacked. Tell them not to open messages from you or click on any links in them.
- Notify your bank about a possible leak of your personal data. Find out from them how to protect your funds.
- Remove all programs that are unfamiliar to you, as well as those that will not start.
- Install a reliable antivirus and scan your system. Some companies release free versions.
- Change passwords on all your accounts.
- If you feel that the problem has not been solved, contact a specialist.
