We all know that malware(they are computer viruses) pose a threat not only to 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 a thief 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 a scan with a standard antivirus or use the Dr.Web CureIt utility.
Ghost No. 3 - method of direct blackmail
Another effective method 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 of 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. An unknown Wanna Cry virus 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 it's better to check them from time to time. Otherwise, one day you may find that active 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).
In the best case, there will be no free space on your hard drive 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.
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.
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 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 breach 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.
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.
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 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 breach 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
Unfortunately, hacking of pages on social networks is not uncommon. Moreover, attackers do not always change passwords and deprive you of access. Often they just do things on your behalf from time to time. different actions, for example, they send spam, and in some cases they simply monitor your correspondence, which is also not good. Therefore, it is extremely important to detect vulnerabilities in time and take action. Let's talk about this.
Browsing history
Large social networks have long created special sections for their members in which they store basic information about the devices from which you access the site. I recommend that you periodically review this data so that if anything happens you can take action.
What to look for?
First of all, on IP addresses and entry points.
Example. You have been in Tver all month, and another city, for example, London, has appeared among the connection points.
What actions should you take?
- Check the host file and machine for viruses.
- Change your passwords to more complex ones
- Notify the administration social network about a suspicious entry point.
Well, now I’ll tell you how to find your browsing history on different sites.
Classmates
To get into your browsing history in Odnoklassniki, you need to click on “ change settings"under the main photo of the page, then select " Browsing history».
I also advise you to pay attention to the link “ Logging out from other devices" Clicking on it is possible only when you opened Odnoklassniki on several computers, phones or tablets and at the same time forgot to correctly exit the social network (simply closed the browser window instead of clicking on the link " Exit").
In contact with.
The history of visits on VKontakte is hidden in the “ Settings" Go to it and select the section “ Safety" Click on the link " Show activity history" This is where the information you are looking for is hidden. Please note that on the " Safety", you can also end all sessions (exit VKontakte) from all computers, tablets and phones with one click.
Facebook.
Click on the gears in the right corner and select “ Settings" Now in the left side menu you need to select “ Security" The information of interest is located after the heading “ Active sessions»
Google+
(as well as (Gmail) and other services from Google)
Yandex Mail.
Scroll the page to the end. Approximately in the middle there is a link “ Last entrance" This is the story.
