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11 Signs That Spyware Is On Your Computer
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When most people think of the biggest threats to their computers, spyware usually isn’t at the top of the list. Although spyware is much easier to get than most other kinds of viruses, many people are unaware that they need an extra spyware scanning and blocking program to help keep their computers safe. Here are the top 11 signs that you have spyware on your computer.
1. Significant slowdown in computer response time – Most of us that use our computers on a daily basis have a good idea how they run, what noises they make and how long response time is supposed to be. Just like a car mechanic can tell the health of an engine by the way it purrs, you should be able to tell how healthy your computer is by the way it acts. If you are noticing a significant slow down in the way your machine responds, you may have spyware on your computer.
2. Browser Add-Ons – One nasty trick that almost all spyware performs is the addition of add ons and toolbars to your browser. Most of us have one or two add ons, such as Google Toolbar or Yahoo Toolbar, but if you suddenly open your browser to find a half dozen more toolbars that you can’t uninstall, than you likely have spyware on your computer.
3. Popups Everywhere – It seems that you can’t surf anywhere on the Internet these days without running into pop up windows. While a small amount of pop ups is normal, if you are seeing dozens of pop ups every time you go online, you likely have spyware on your computer. Sometimes, spyware will cause pop ups even when you do not have a browser window open.
4. Home Page Changes – We all know our browser home page. It is likely our favorite web page on the Internet and a page we read all the time. One of the easiest ways to tell if you have spyware on your computer is if your home page has been changed and no matter how many times you change it back, it is changed the next time you open your browser all over again.
5. Browser Hijacks – If you have ever experienced a browser hijack, it can be quite a disorienting feeling. You are surfing away, minding your own business, and then out of nowhere, you are looking at some random webpage you never asked to visit. If this begins happening on a regular basis, and the webpage you are being redirected to is the same one, over and over again, than most likely there is spyware on your computer.
6. Different Search Engine Results – Some adware can not only take control of what web pages you visit, but also hijack your search engine results. You can be using Google or Yahoo and then, all of a sudden, instead of getting your regular search engine results, you are given a page full of advertising links instead. If this has happened to you, most likely your computer has spyware on it.
7. Your Computer Never Stops Working – We all know the rattling sound our computer makes when our hard drive is being accessed. For most computers, this sound comes and goes depending on what we are doing. If you notice, however, that this sound never stops, even when you have your monitor off and you aren’t using any programs, you likely have spyware on your computer.
8. All New Bookmarks – Depending on how much you browse the Internet, you may either have one or two bookmarks or one or two dozen. Frequent users even back up their bookmarks just in case a virus, or some other program, should happen to wipe theirs out. If you suddenly notice that all of your bookmarks are gone, or if you have dozens more than you did the other day and you know for a fact you didn’t add a single one of them yourself, most likely your computer has spyware on it.
9. A Flurry of Desktop Icons – Some computer users enjoy having a desktop that is filled with icons for Word documents, program shortcuts and other important files, while others enjoy only having the recycle bin visible. Spyware, on the other hand, likes to keep your desktop as cluttered as possible. If you suddenly notice a half dozen new icons for programs you’ve never heard of on your desktop, you most certainly have spyware on your computer.
10. Anti-Virus Programs Disabled – A well maintained computer should only have a handful of programs running all the time, such as an anti virus program, your firewall and maybe a chat program. If you suddenly notice that your anti virus program has stopped running, and no matter how many times you restart it, it disappears again a few minutes later, there is probably spyware on your computer.
11. Financial Irregularities – One of the most common types of spyware is known as a keylogger. These programs record every keystroke you make, including login names, passwords and other important information. If none of these other signs pop up on your computer, but you suddenly begin to get calls from your bank, credit card company and investment firm saying that your accounts are showing odd activity, than you likely have spyware on your computer. |
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