How to make sure no one is spying on your computer

The most dangerous malware is not the one that corrupts or encrypts your files, but the one that silently watches you. Spyware can record a signal from a webcam, collecting dirt on the user, can steal passwords and leak confidential correspondence. Needless to say, the consequences of such surveillance can be even more dangerous than the loss of all files on the computer.

Here’s how you can keep yourself safe and make sure no one is spying on your computer.

Software protection

First of all, you need to install good protection on your computer. Most antiviruses for Windows and macOS can protect your system from keyloggers (viruses that keep track of which buttons on your keyboard you press), webcam hijackers, and other types of spyware.

Of course, there is no antivirus in the world that can protect a PC from all threats at once. But, as practice shows, free solutions are enough to protect your home computer. The main thing is to ensure that the antivirus is updated on time.

In February we talked about top five free antiviruses beginning of this year. The list is up to date.

But antivirus is just the first line of defense. It will be useful to build another one. We are talking about specialized scanners that monitor spy activity. Such scanners do not conflict with the main antivirus product in any way, but sometimes they can find something that the antivirus has overlooked. If you are a Windows user, a free scanner might be a good option. Spybot Search & Destroy.

If you still suspect that your computer is infected with spyware, but the antivirus does not find anything, consider options Norton Power Eraser or HouseCall by TrendMicro. These free scanners also do not conflict with the mainstream antivirus as they work directly from the browser.

Avoidance of infection

Even the most reliable antiviruses will not save the user who himself drags the infection onto his computer. If you want to stay safe, you should monitor your system yourself and avoid possible sources of infection.

For example, very often viruses penetrate home PCs due to the careless actions of relatives. If more than one family member uses your computer, you should create a separate account with a password for each of them. It’s not a matter of privacy or trust, it’s a matter of general security. It is also advisable to disable administrator rights for family members who are not well versed in the system.

You also need to be careful yourself. One of the most common ways to infect a computer is through phishing emails or fake pop-up notifications. The advice here is universal — don’t open suspicious attachments and don’t click on anything you don’t trust.

“Informal” signs of infection

You need to listen to your computer. Sometimes literally.

Once, by negligence, I brought a miner virus onto my computer. Such viruses use the system resources of the victim computer to mine cryptocurrency for their creator. At that time, the antivirus did not work, but I was able to detect the infection very quickly. When the miner started to load the video card, it began to heat up more and, accordingly, the coolers made more noise. I noticed an atypical hum of fans, looked into the list of system processes, saw a miner process there and deleted it manually. But this was possible only because I knew exactly how my PC coolers rustle during normal operation.

Protective programs are, of course, good. But if you really want to feel safe, get to know your computer better and learn to pay attention to such “informal” signs of infection.

For example, one of the obvious signs of infection is the slowdown of the operating system. Of course, any system after some time after installation starts to work more slowly. But if the slowdown occurred abruptly, it is worth looking for the cause.

Pay attention to any suspicious activity. Watch the hard drive activity indicator (red light on the system unit). If the computer is not performing any tasks, it should not light up or blink.

If a black command prompt window flashes on the desktop immediately after the system boots, this is a clear sign of a process that is trying to go unnoticed.

Pay attention to changes you didn’t make. If your browser suddenly starts changing your homepage, you have probably picked up an adware trojan.

As a rule, spyware viruses have a weak spot. Since they have to keep an eye on the user all the time, they hang in the list of system processes all the time. So, they can be found in the “Processes” tab of the task manager. If you encounter any suspicious activity, take a look at this tab and look for the process that is consuming CPU resources. Then just google its name. If it is indeed malware, in most cases you will find a description of how to destroy it.